Why was I always so tired?

OK, so being tired isn't a new thing. I wasn't the first exhausted as parent, and I doubt I'll be the last. On the other hand, I could never work out why I was so tired... Until I stopped doing what I'd been doing for most of a decade...



Basically, as well as working, and then adding a small child into the mix, I was doing all the planning, thinking, keeping up with everything that needed doing. This cartoon printed in the Guardian popped up, and pretty much sums up why I was exhausted... 
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/26/gender-wars-household-chores-comic 

I did experiment from time to time with not doing it all... But the harsh reality was that if I didn't do it myself, or chase, remind, ask, things just didn't get done. 
The last of the milk gone in the tea someone else made so there's none left for breakfast... Why didn't I get more / ask for more to be bought? 
Why hadn't the specific item of clothing needed been washed?
Why were there so many bottles for the bottle bank? 

More than that though, the repeated requests for the same thing... They were the most draining. The things that should be automatic... Dishes after dinner, laundry in the basket not on the table. 

The organising, the planning that all fell to me. And inevitably was never quite what others wanted it to be. 

Problem is, at the time, it was normal. So I didn't question it. But I should have. Because, no matter what, if there are two of you, figuring out life together means sharing the boring bits, not just the fun parts. Because the boring bits can actually be fun if you do them together. 

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