We all know that the “job” of a stay-at-home parent is really like a million jobs rolled into one—but how much would a stay-at-home parent make if they were paid? A new study puts quite the price tag on parenthood.

Using data on a selection of jobs that equate with all of the daily tasks that come with being a stay-at-home parent, Salary.com came up with a median annual income for 2021. And, drumroll please… stay-at-home parents should be making a whopping $184,820 a year. This amount was up over $6,000 from the pre-pandemic medium.

Photo: Matthew Henry via Burst

So what’s the job description of a stay-at-home parent? Salary.com pulled information on several different positions including accountant, CEO, coach, dietician, event planner, janitor, plumber, psychologist, teacher—and many more to come up with the salary fitting for the demanding role.

Of course, ask any stay-at-home parent and they’ll tell you that you can’t put a price on being able to stay home with the kids.

You can calculate your own salary by using this salary wizard.

 

 

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We all know just how much work goes into being a mom, but now there’s a study that can actually confirm it in case anyone ever dares to question how you spend your day. According to research being a mom is the equivalent of working 2.5 full-time jobs.

A study conducted by Welch’s of 2,000 moms found that they spent an average of 98 hours per week doing mom duties. Most moms “clocked in” for the day around 6:23 a.m. and “clocked out” again around 8:31 p.m. for a 14-hour day. The opt-in survey respondents had kids ranging in age from 5 to 12. Had they included moms of babies still waking in the middle of the night, it could very well be a 24-hour “work” day.

The survey showed that, on average, moms got just over one hour to themselves every day. Four out of every 10 moms surveyed said that their week felt like a never-ending list of tasks.

“The results of the survey highlight just how demanding the role of mom can be and the non-stop barrage of tasks it consists of,” said Casey Lewis, MS, RD and Health & Nutrition Lead at Welch’s.

Toddlers And Tiaras Reaction GIF - Find & Share on GIPHY

The survey also asked what moms relied on most to help them survive the long work week. The most popular responses included coffee, wine, Netflix, wet wipes, iPads, and toys.

Featured photo: StockSnap via Pixabay 

It’s a boy—and another boy and a girl! First-time North American river otter parents Elva and Dragonroll just welcomed triplets at the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison, Wisconsin.

Montello, Fisher, and Lily made their grand debut Feb. 15. The zoo recently announced the birth on its Facebook and Instagram pages, noting that the river otter pups are currently hanging with their equally as adorable mama. Head to their social pages to see a photo of the adorable threesome!

According to the Henry Vilas Zoo, river otter moms have the sole responsibility of raising their newborn pups. This means the triplets won’t meet dad, Dragonroll, until they are around six to eight weeks old and can swim.

Zoo manager Johanna Soto told WMTV, “We are beyond excited to welcome these pups. Soto continued, “Triplets can be demanding, especially for a first-time mom, but Elva has been doing great and they have been growing at a very health rate from day one.”

While Dragonball is currently out and about at the Zoo, guests won;t get to glimpse the baby river otter awesomeness until sometime in late May.

—Erica Loop

Feature photo: kyonntra via iStock

 

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Most days you can find me somewhere in the middle of hope at the intersection of not knowing what I’m doing nor where I’m going. This is the life I’ve grown accustomed to—the autism life.

Covid-19 isn’t my first “new normal.” Receiving an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis for my son three years ago was.

In an instant, our priorities and responsibilities changed, and our entire world as we knew it was rocked by autism. My son Stalen was diagnosed on the spectrum at twenty-one months. He is considered non-verbal. Today, he is a handsome, loving, and all-around amazing five-year-old. I can’t begin to try to put into words the love I have for him.

He is my world. 

So, here I am three years into this journey with him and I still struggle.

Some days, things fall into place and I breathe easy as if someone handed me a GPS, I have a full tank of gas and I know exactly where I’m heading and how to get there. I’m confident and I can even push my luck and turn on cruise control. But then, out of nowhere, a freaking detour. No idea where I’m going, I’ve never been down this road before.

I’m feeling anxious and uncertain, the gas light is on and I’m certain I’m completely lost. I’m a total mess! 

But there it is, that familiar voice of hope in my head, giving me direction, a chance to catch my breath, guiding me and propelling me forward with the promise of better days and the desire to be braver as I try again. 

You know that voice…..

The one you hear every time you’re lost.  

The one you hear at three a.m. when you’re beyond exhausted and your child is awake, ready for the day and demanding chocolate milk and chicken nuggets. 

The voice that attempts to calm your anxiety on your way to another appointment, or after a bad day.  

The voice that tells you that it won’t always be like this. 

The voice that tells you that tomorrow will be better. 

The voice that tells you that you can do hard things. 

The voice that tells you to wipe your tears and try again. 

The voice that encourages you to go all-in when you’re all out. 

And just when you think that voice is gone, when you think “I’m done”, “I can’t do this” it creeps up in photos of better times in your Facebook memories or in the comforting, encouraging words of friends on similar journeys. 

It’s hidden in the comforting smile of a stranger when your child is in a full-blown public meltdown. 

It dwells deep within your tribe of supporters and encouragers. It is tightly wrapped around the words, “I get it” and “I understand” or “how can I help?”

Hope always finds a way. 

It’s in the actions of neighbors who turn their Christmas lights on in July because your child loves them or it shines brightly in the form of “happy packages” left on your front step to cheer up your son. 

It’s the voice of your child saying “Mama” for the first time or even when he says “bum.” 

It’s even hidden amongst the smiles and gasps when you present him with new shoes. 

Yes, the bad times are really bad.

But, the hope that sneaks through during those times when you are forced out of desperation to look for it, is so much better.

Hope is the air we breathe during survival mode. 

It is the diamond in the rough. 

Autism has taught me to find, search, appreciate, fight for, and to hold on to hope like no other experience or situation in my life. 

The progress, the memories, the firsts, the moments that you never thought would happen but they did, the sleepless nights you lived to tell about, the kindness, love, and acceptance of family, friends, and strangers. 

Just like we need to find the joy, we also need to harness the hope. 

So, now when I find myself at that freaking detour sign, I have no idea where I am or what I’m doing…I do know I will find my way back somewhere in the middle of hope.

I always do. 

This post originally appeared on Finding Cooper's Voice.

I am a proud wife, ASD Mom, Step-Mom. At 21 months, my son was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. He is 5 years old and non-verbal. I have become a full-time stay-at-home mom. I am 1000% focused on raising autism awareness and helping my son live a full and fun life. 

Did you know that more than 40 percent of Americans have myopia (also known as nearsightedness)1? This vision problem can develop and worsen over time as a child grows and can even be influenced by factors such as genetics2, increased screen time, and less time playing outdoors3. CooperVision’s Brilliant Futures™ Myopia Management Program with MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are the first and only soft contact lenses FDA approved* to slow the progression of myopia in children age 8-12 at initiation of treatment.†4 To find out if MiSight® 1 day contact lenses are a fit for your child, talk to your Eye Care Practitioner (ECP) and learn more about myopia management at coopervision.com/myopia-management!

 

*Indications and Important Safety Information. Rx only. Results may vary.

ATTENTION: Reference the Patient Information Booklet for a complete listing of Indications and Important Safety Information. Indication: MiSight® 1 day (omafilcon A) soft (hydrophilic) contact lenses for daily wear are indicated for the correction of myopic ametropia and for slowing the progression of myopia in children with non-diseased eyes, who at the initiation of treatment are 8-12 years of age and have a refraction of -0.75 to -4.00 diopters(spherical equivalent) with ≤ 0.75 diopters of astigmatism. The lens is to be discarded after each removal. Warnings: Problems with contact lenses could result in serious injury to the eye. Do not expose contact lenses to water while wearing them. Under certain circumstances MiSight® lenses optical design can cause reduced image contrast/ghosting/halo/glare in some patients that may cause difficulties with certain visually-demanding tasks. Precautions: Daily wear single use only. Patient should always dispose when lenses are removed. No overnight wear. Patients should exercise extra care if performing potentially hazardous activities. Adverse events: Including but not limited to infection/inflammation/ulceration/abrasion of the cornea, other parts of the eye or eyelids. Some of these adverse reactions can cause permanent or temporary loss of vision. If you notice any of the stated in your child, immediately have your child remove the lenses and contact your eye care professional. †Compared to a single vision 1 day lens over a 3 year period.

References:
1.Holden BA, et al. Global Prevalence of Myopia and High Myopia and Temporal Trends from 2000 through 2050. Ophthalmology. 2016;123(5):1036-42.
2.Mutti DO, Mitchell GL, Moeschberger ML, Jones LA, Zadnik K. Parental myopia, near work, school achievement, and children’s refractive error. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2002;43(12):3633-3640. doi:10.1001/jamaophthalmol.2020.0412
3.Huang HM, Chang DS, Wu PC. The Association between Near Work Activities and Myopia in Children-A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS One. 2015;10(10):e0140419. Published 2015 Oct 20. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0140419
4.Chamberlain P, et al. A 3-year randomized clinical trial of MiSight® lenses for myopia control. Optom Vis Sci. 2019; 96(8):556-567.

Dear Laundry,

Hey, I just wanted to say thanks for always being there for me. I just can’t quit you, no matter how hard I try.

I’m sorry I get mad at you sometimes it’s just…I need space, you know? Even when I go away for a day or two, I can always count on you, waiting patiently, for my attention. You don’t mind chilling all clean in a basket while I pretend you don’t exist. You don’t mind when I leave you in the dryer and forget about you until I wash some of your friends. Heck even when you’re overflowing in the hamper, you don’t get mad me. You just wait until I’m ready, which is true compassion. Clean, dirty, left in the washer so I have to wash you again…you just stay. Day after day. Week after week. Month after month. For the rest of my life until I die. Dang, Laundry. That’s some real devotion there.

You don’t happen to know Dinner, do you? She’s not quite as…zen as you are, Laundry. She’s a little more demanding and pretty possessive actually. Between you and me, Dinner can be kind of be a b*tch. But I still gotta chill with Dinner, even when she’s being a total b. She’s not like you, Laundry. She can’t be left alone, not even for one day. Very needy. And a total diva to boot.

She constantly needs to be coddled with options and demands I shop for her at least once a week and then half the time she just lets herself go to waste because God forbid she hang out with Leftovers while I take a night off to see Bookclub. But do you think Dinner cares about my needs? No. In fact, lately, all Dinner does is get upset that it’s Chicken. Again. As if Chicken is going to be her ruination. As if Chicken is some sort of gateway to Liver.

Well, guess what? I’m done being ashamed of Chicken. Chicken gets me. Chicken is low maintenance. Chicken is adaptable to my needs and if Dinner is going to demand nightly visitation and weekly shopping, I’m bringing Chicken whenever I want, however, I want. Dinner even expects me to be perfectly punctual each night and if I dare be a little early or a little late, there’s no compassion. There’s no understanding. There’s just interrogation. Where here have you been? What have you been doing? Who were you with? I mean she literally doesn’t do crap all day except sit around and wait for me then conveniently forgets that I’m also dealing with Breakfast. And Lunch. And Snacks. Snacks alone thinks he might die if we don’t hang out seven times a day but at least he only needs a minute of my time. At least he’s not sucking the soul out of my life.

I’m beginning to think that Dinner and I might need a trial separation.

But don’t worry Laundry. I could never abandon you like that. I don’t need Dinner the way I need you because frankly…I’ve got Popcorn. But without you, Laundry, I have nothing. I know it might not always feel like it, but…I see you. I support you. And always remember—I will get to you. Eventually.

I’ll check in with you later. I gotta go see what’s up with Dishwasher. He’s so full of it.

Stay folded.

Love,

Me

 

Emily is a sometime writer, all the time mom, who constantly wonders how it is she became completely superior at loading the dishwasher. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her two budding teenagers who provide daily inspirational quotes such as: I'm hungry! and Close the door! She loves them a whole lot anyway. 

Being I spent my whole life trying to be tough. Trying to be strong. I learned early my sensitivity was seen as a weakness. I learned to suck it up, cry later. Take a joke. Get even instead of getting hurt. I learned strength was hardness, coldness. 

I learned that competitiveness was strength. Winning an argument showed strength. Winning a game showed strength. Being angry when you didn’t win showed strength.  I learned that asking for help was a weakness. Charity was always re-payed, in full. People weren’t allowed to do nice things for us without compensation. ​Independence was the ultimate sign of strength. 

I learned that physical strength and a strong stomach was strength. Being tough was hauling hay with the boys, handling a horse on your own, hunting, butchering an animal, wringing a pheasant’s neck, gutting fish, baiting your own hook. Being tough was work without complaint.

I was tough. For years I was tough. I swallowed my tears. I held back my hurt. I was hard, cold, competitive. I was independent. I was offended when a man tried to tell me I didn’t need to do that “dirty farm work.” I’d work even harder to prove him wrong. I helped castrate animals, de-horn, and brand cattle, I pushed myself physically just to prove I could. Just to prove I was tough. I volunteered my time and my talents too often and too much. I refused to delegate because I was capable, I could do it on my own. I voiced my opinion, I became a leader, a doer. 

i was strong.

I was tough. 

And then I wasn’t. 

I fell apart.

My strength cracked and crumbled away, and I finally saw it for what it was, an exterior, a shield. I stopped trying to be strong. For a very long time, I sank into my weakness. And that is where I learned what real strength was. 

My husband and I have three amazing daughters. (And another one on the way!) We are trying to teach them to be tough little girls. We’re teaching them to be independent. We’re teaching them to work hard. They can do the dirty jobs. They know where their food comes from. They aren’t afraid of blood or birth. They understand death. But they are also learning what true strength is. 

They’re learning that true strength is being able to ask for help, admitting your faults, and apologizing for your mistakes. Real strength is setting boundaries, saying no, protecting yourself, your energy, time, and mental health. Real strength is accepting your sensitivity as a gift. Strength is learning from your emotions. Being tough is loving yourself. Being tough is loving others. Being tough is forgiveness and letting go. Strength is listening, seeking to understand. Strength is knowing you deserve respect and demanding it. Being strong is being authentic. I thought I was a tough little girl that grew up into a strong woman until I painfully discovered I was neither. But in all that pain and weakness I re-learned what real strength was. And now I am strong. I am strong from the inside out. And because I am strong, I can raise tough little girls that will become strong women. 

This post originally appeared on My Peace Project.

Amy is a creator and believes everyone else is too. She strives to be artistic in all areas of life but writing is her passion and her family is her masterpiece. She uses her blog to address the joys and struggles of motherhood and is currently writing her first novel.

So we’re home now, for the most part, and trying to get stuff done with our significant others, kidlets, and even pets demanding attention. If you’re like me, you might be feeling some mom guilt and trying to do Pinterest-worthy supermom activities to keep your kids entertained. It was always frustrating, when my daughter was younger, to spend an hour setting up some fantastic art project or activity (cookie decorating anyone?) only to have my kidlet spend approximately 3.5 minutes doing the fun thing before losing interest. And now we’re supposed to keep our children on-task long enough to do “school?”

So how do teachers do it? I’ve been lucky enough in my career to get to watch some masterful teachers and discover a few tips for keeping kids engaged.

In their book “How to Help Children with Common Problems,” Child Psychologists Charles Schaefer and Howard Millman noted that the first thing to remember is that a child’s attention span is about two to five minutes for every year old they are. Your typical elementary student has maybe 20 minutes of focus they can spend before they get distracted. This isn’t something they can control, either. Your ability to attend is dependent on the amount of myelination your neurons have. Kids are growing that myelin over time so attention is highly individual and also dependent on personality, environment, history, and physiological state. But there are some things you can do to optimize the amount of time your child can pay attention.

1. Establish Routines. This is the single most important thing you can do. Kids love love love routines. The magic is in knowing what’s next. Ever had a movie or book your child wanted to hear over and over and over? It could be that the content is excellent, but it’s more likely that your child gets a lot of comfort from the repetition. It lets them see the world as predictable and safe. Teachers know this and post classroom schedules on the wall or the board where everyone can see. If possible, make a down-to-the-minute schedule, keeping in mind how long your child’s attention is, and stick to it every day.

2. Keep Instructions Short. Following a list of instructions is actually a fairly sophisticated activity. You have to listen, pay attention to what’s being said, put those words into your short term memory, and recall them after some time goes by. Expecting our kidlets to hold on to three or four or eight different tasks while they’re also trying to get stuff done really isn’t reasonable. If your child can read, they’ll be much more successful if you write the tasks down. If your child is younger, give them one or two directions at a time and have them come back to you for more.

3. Moderate Your Volume. It’s usually less difficult when you’re trying to get the attention of a handful of kids (or fewer) than when you’re trying to corral a whole classroom of 30, but getting any number of kids to listen is sometimes a challenge. Something we know from decades of physiological research into attention is that people, no matter what age, are more interested in things that are novel. Think about what that might mean for your own voice giving instructions to your own children. How often have they experienced that? Probably enough to strip your voice of any iota of novelty. You don’t need to have a repertoire of celebrity impersonations at the ready (although that would be fun), you can get more attention by whispering or singing or changing your timbre than you might expect.

 

Hilary Scharton is the VP of Innovation, Instructure Canvas, the open online learning management system (LMS) that makes teaching and learning easier. 

We’ve all heard stories of parents and children having to sit separately on planes. Basic economy fares are fine while flying solo, but when you are bringing your kids along, you may face some obstacles. Thanks to a petition started by Consumer Reports, that may all change.

Woman and child on plane

Without seat assignments in place, which can come with fees attached, children wind up being separated from their parents on flights. Consumer Reports posted an online petition demanding airlines to place safety before profits. The petition states, “Children 13 or under should sit with their families while flying, and should not be charged extra fees to do so.” 

Consumer Reports’ petition specifically singles out American, Delta and United Airlines. “Families face a constant battle to ensure they are seated together, even when they choose seats far in advance,” said Anna Laitin, director of financial policy at Consumer Reports. “The airlines should put safety first and seat children with their families without charging them extra for it.”

Consumer Reports began publicizing the issue last fall and set up a portal to the Department of Transportation’s complaint system, generating more than 600 submissions in just two months. Parents who submitted complaints shared how they bought tickets and specifically chose seats together, but the airline reassigned their seats before the flight. Parents were forced to pay for an upgrade, or beg gate agents, flight attendants and other passengers to switch seats with them. Some of the children involved were as young as one or two-years-old. Other children seated separately were autistic, suffered seizures or were susceptible to life-threatening nut allergies.

More than 128,000 people have signed the Consumer Reports petition since it was launched over a week ago. 

“The airlines can fix this problem without government intervention,” said Latin. “Ensuring that children are always seated with their parents regardless of the ticket purchased would improve safety and security for all travelers while easing the minds of families.”

—Jennifer Swartvagher

Featured photo: Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

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Greta Thunberg is not your typical teenager, and that’s why the climate activist is Time’s 2019 Person of the Year.

The Swedish 16-year-old has inspired four million people in a global movement to stop climate change, starting with a sign that read (translated into English) “School Strike for Climate.” Thanks to Thunberg’s efforts, the idea of kids doing good has taken on a whole new meaning.

In 2018 Thunberg skipped school to protest in front of Swedish Parliament. Fast-forward 16 months and the teen has caught the attention of the world. With no political agency or organization backing her, Thunberg started her strike alone. The next day a second person stood with her. As the weeks went by more and more people stood by Thunberg, eventually resulting in the Fridays for the Future movement.

By 2019 the strikes had grown to unimaginable proportions. More than one million people joined the cause across Germany, striking in Berlin and 600 other cities. In September of 2019, the Fridays for the Future strikes moved from Europe to the United States. A reported 250,000 people marched in New York City’s Battery Park.

Time editor-in-chief Edward Felsenthal told TODAY during the 2019 announcement, “She became the biggest voice on the biggest issue facing the planet this year, coming from essentially nowhere to lead a worldwide movement.” Felsenthal continued, “Young people are demanding change, and urgently. She embodies youth activism.”

—Erica Loop

Featured photo: Greta Thunberg via Instagram

 

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