By Kelsey Scism 
PSA for husbands, grandmas, sisters, kids, and all other well-meaning supporters of the mom break: Please don’t tell a mom to take a break unless you can help with the work she needs a break from.
Yes, we need a break. We know it. We’ve even vocalized the words. Our husbands are on board. Our own moms can hear the exhaustion in our voices. Our friends get it; they know how hard mom life can be. Even our big kids and teens have noticed the overwhelm and near meltdown status and recognize the need for a break. Social media is screaming: take the break, take care of you!
And we appreciate all the support and nudges to indulge in the mom break, but here’s the problem: It’s not a real break if the work you need a break from remains or even worse, piles up resulting in more work when you return from said break.
Let me give you an example. A mom decides she’s going to take a break from the laundry and dishes, so she spends an entire day without laying a finger on those start buttons. The next day, she returns to her normal routine of a load (or two) every day, only to find the loads have doubled. It seems that her break yesterday only served to multiply the work today. The mom math just doesn’t add up. You see what I mean? Her break supplied temporary relief but produced a growing workload in the long term. A break today means more work tomorrow.
Listen, I know you mean well when you say, “Just take a break; go do something you want to do; the laundry, dishes, and chores will wait.” But that’s exactly the problem—they will wait. They will wait for us, and when that much-appreciated break is done, the work will not be done. So instead of simply telling a mom to take a break, say this: You do ___ while I do ___.
You sit down and watch a show while I fold laundry.
You go to your room and read for a little bit while I give the kids baths.
You meet a friend for lunch while I feed the kids and make a plan for supper.
You enjoy a cup of coffee on the porch while I load the dishwasher and clean up the kitchen.
Even if it’s just 10 minutes and one task, that break (without the worry of the undone work) can give us the second wind we need to make it through the week, and it might even prevent us from randomly exploding over the little things. (You know what I’m talking about, we’ve been there before.)
And moms, a little PSA for you: Let them do it. Don’t worry about the laundry not being folded right or the dishwasher being loaded wrong. Say a thank you and walk away, allow them to do the work. Even if it isn’t done like you’d do it, it’s still being done, and you’re getting a break. Take it. Together, we can make this world a better place . . . one mom break at a time.
by Hilary Doyle 
by Erica Lively 
by Kimberly Keys 
