Being a Mom of 3 Makes Me More Stressed Than Having Any Other Number of Kids
Early November, I officially became a mom of 3.
That is 1 number bigger than the 2 that I’ve been used to for the past 4 years.
And while my baby is just a few months old, I am certainly feeling the added stress.
Perhaps, it is because my husband and I are officially outnumbered?
Or perhaps, it’s because Moms Of 3 Are More Stressed Than Those With Any Other Number Of Kids.
Before you eye roll, this is apparently a thing.
So much in fact, there is a survey that was conducted to prove it.
I’d like to argue that having kids at any capacity is stressful. I am sure there comes a time where we all just want to lock ourselves in a closet with a bucket full of candy, while enjoying some sort of new Netflix series.
But according to a study done by TODAY Parents in 2013 (that has since resurfaced) they found out that out of the 7,164 moms in the United States, moms of three kids are more stressed out than moms of one, two, four or more.
In addition, they found that on average, the stress level of all moms who responded was at 8.5 on a scale of 1 -10. They also found 60% stressed more about their girls than their boys and 60% said they stressed out the most about there not being enough hours in a day to get everything accomplished.
More findings from the online survey of 7,164 U.S. mothers, conducted by TODAY.com and Insight Express concluded that:
- 46 percent of moms say their husbands/partners cause them more stress than their kids do.
- 72 percent of moms stress about how stressed they are.
- Biggest cause of stress: 60 percent say it’s lack of time to do everything that needs to get done.
- 60 percent of moms say raising girls is more stressful than raising boys.
- Nine out of 10 moms stress about staying fit and attractive.
READ: It’s time to end mom wars
Um, hello, that is what we’ve been trying to let people know for years – parenting is tough work. And yes, I say work because I truthfully think that a parent should be classified as a legitimate job.
But in case you’re wondering why exactly having 3 kids is more stressful than any other number, Dr. Janet Taylor, a psychiatrist in New York, says:
“The more children you have, the more confident you become in your parenting abilities,” she said. “You have to let go… and then you’re just thankful when they all get to school on time.”
I haven’t made it that far into my parenting of 3 to know for certain, but one thing is for sure, I can’t have any more babies (I had a tubal ligation after delivery) so looks like I’ll be in constant stress until my kiddos are grown and out of the house.
Wish me luck! HA!
