Dad spends one week alone with his kids — he finally understood what his wife goes through daily

When Cedric Thompson Jr. (@ced on Instagram), a father of three, found himself taking care of his kids alone for just over a week, he was prepared for the chaos and challenges it would bring. However, what he didn’t expect was a major realization that would dawn on him. In the process of taking care of his kids, he realized his wife's worth and her selfless contributions to the family. Thompson was tasked with single-parenting responsibilities when his wife was visiting her family in the Philippines. 

In the Instagram Video, Thompson is seen sitting on the bed, holding one of his kids in his arms while the other two are asleep beside him. As the video begins, he explains that he knew he was ready to manage the household chores, in addition to feeding and tending to his kids' needs, as reported by Motherly. However, he was soon humbled by the reality. "But one thing I was not prepared for was the mental load. I had no idea it felt like this," he admitted. Thompson revealed how tough it was to plan things out when handling three children, which mostly left him exhausted. He added, "I don't even have the energy to take care of myself at all," let alone take the mental load of a mother. 

The dad of three went on to express his empathy for his wife. He said, "This has really opened my eyes and made me ask myself, what more can I be doing? What has been going on that I haven't been seeing, and it's right in front of me? How can I step up the way that my wife needs me to instead of doing things that I think are helping?" Further in the video, Thompson shared that he might not always be able to take away the mental load, but he will surely try to ease that. In the caption of the post, he also accepted that we learn something when we try something beyond our comfort zone and walk in someone else’s shoes.

Thompson's realization resonated with many parents across the world, especially mothers. One Instagram user, @khenniefasion_ ,commented, “Thank you for expressing our thoughts and feelings. And we are glad that you had a taste of how we mentally feel as mothers.” Another person, @kch1.397, wrote, “I thank you. I hope they continue to wake up and see the reality that mothers are special, we even do the impossible and without strength, but yes, we need support.” Similarly, @south_yorkshire_blondie stated, “Yep. I was a single mum when my son was 8 months old. He's 12 now. Worked full time. His dad hasn't seen him or paid for him. Kudos to all single parents out there.”

While mothers often don’t ask for help, especially with the mental load of the household, there are meaningful ways we can step up. Start by taking full responsibility for at least one daily task. It could be something as simple as managing the laundry without being reminded. Better yet, acknowledge their efforts, because something as simple as a "thank you" goes a long way.