A new study show that the average mother of kids aged 5 to 12 works 98 hours every week. That’s based on a 14-hour day that lasts from about 6:30 in the morning to 8:30 at night, seven days a week.
Maria Lucé, who runs a Web site called The Empowered Mom, cheerfully calls the estimate a “joke.” “Let’s say you get them to sleep at 8:30,” she says. “Well, guess what? You’re still up doing laundry, and dishes, and getting their lunches ready for the next day. A mom’s work is never done.”
Lucé says moms can make it harder on themselves if they don’t insist that their kids grow up as quickly as possible. “Sometimes parents want to be their kids’ friend,” she observes. “And frankly, to be honest with you, from about, I’m going to say age 11 to maybe 19, you’re not going to be your kid’s friend, if you’re doing your job, which is called parenting.”
Despite all their hard work, millions of women suffer from "mom guilt," a feeling that they’re not doing enough. Lucé says she’s no exception. “No matter what, moms are going to have guilt,” she says. “It doesn’t matter what you do. Because it’s never enough time, you’re never there enough.”
Lucé also agrees with a study that says the biggest source of mom guilt is allowing their kids too much screen time on their gadgets. As a home-based “mompreneur,” she says she uses electronics to keep her three boys out of her hair in the summertime so she can conduct her business.