Weekend Parenting Struggles Summed Up

When you’re a parent, the weekend can often feel like one endless rollercoaster of playdates, trips to the playground, sports classes, alongside all the shopping, laundry, cooking, and cleaning.

And maybe we’re all a bit guilty of trying to fit in too much. A recent post by Simon Hooper on Instagram described such a Saturday with his wife and four daughters.

By the end of the day, Hooper and his wife Clementine realised that they hadn’t eaten since that morning as they had got caught up in the whirlwind of activities with their daughters, 10-year-old Anya, Marnie, seven and one-year-old twins Ottilie and Delilah.

This weekend was like trying to fit the weekly shop into a single carrier bag that had the structural integrity of a biscuit that had been dunked one too many times. Cram too much in and it breaks, spilling it’s guts all over the pavement to onlookers to stare and mutter ‘ glad that wasnt me’ while you silent sob into a snotty rag you found in your pocket that a kid took a particularly large blown into earlier. Well, we got to that point today – Sport clubs, sleepovers, the zoo, walks in the park / never ending goes on the swings, trips to 5 different shops to find slime ingredients, slime making, loft sorting, cleaning, planning parties, cooking – the list goes on – usually I’m the most positive person in the room but when you add in 2 very over tired older girls & twins who are everywhere at all times, you end up with broken parents. I’ve now developed an eye twitch so bad that women think I’m coming on to them through winking. Parenting is hard work, but we are own worst enemies some times when we try to do too much. We should give ourselves a break sometimes and remind ourselves we’re doing the best we can. Anyone else feel our pain? I’m so tired I could ……zzzzzzzz. #crammingtoomuchin #allformygirls #shitcarrierbagweekend #literallynotimetoeat #Fatherofdaughters #Dadlife #instadad #FOD

A post shared by Simon, also known as FOD (@father_of_daughters) on Sep 24, 2017 at 1:28pm PDT

Described the weekend, he wrote:

‘This weekend was like trying to fit the weekly shop into a single carrier bag that had the structural integrity of a biscuit that had been dunked one too many times. Cram too much in and it breaks, spilling it’s [sic] guts all over the pavement to onlookers to stare and mutter “glad that wasnt me” while you silent sob into a snotty rag you found in your pocket that that kids took a particularly large blown into earlier.’

He was left with an eye twitch that makes it look like he’s winking, he explains.

However, he does admit that parents can be their own worst enemies.

‘We should give ourselves a break sometimes and remind ourselves we’re doing the best we can. Anyone else feel our pain? I’m so tired I could ……zzzzzzzz.’

The dad told HuffPost that he hopes his post will help other parents realise that they can push themselves told HuffPost that he hopes other parents will realise that they can push themselves too hard.