From a 50yr old redditor whose kids are now out the house
"The amazing amount of loss of control. There's something about every job you have up to being a parent... as bad as it gets, no matter how horrible or unfair or ****ty or infuriating it is - you always have the option, if you have to, if you can't take it anymore - you can quit that job.
There'll be consequences, it'll be rough, but you can do it, and probably get another job. Maybe even take a few weeks off on purpose, give yourself a real break.
Or maybe you can just take a few days, or a week's vacation if it's that kind of job. There are options when it gets bad.
Well, raising a kid can be the hardest, most unfair, infuriating, ****tiest (literally), draining, exhausting job of your life.
And you can't take a day off. Ever.
You can't even go and sleep 8 hours to get away. Or watch a show or play games uninterrupted. You literally cannot take a break ever, not really. Well, not without putting everything on your spouse - who's going through the same thing you are.
Even if you set up something where you get time off (somehow - babysitter, spouse, whatever) you're still On Call. If things go bad, it's all on you and you cannot ignore it.
And it doesn't matter how burnt out you get, how drop dead exhausted nothing left you're crying just trying to stay awake and being screamed at while you wipe **** from the never ending flow of **** and pain and need that's demanding everything from you and never ever showing any appreciation or care or anything but telling you in wordless endless screams how much you're failing and not doing anything right the entire time that you're trying. so. hard...
You still have to give more love and care and attention to em anyway, cause that's the job.
And the job never ever ends."
