Today I want to talk about parenthood and what it means to be a parent. Many people underestimate how difficult it is to be a parent. It doesn’t matter if you are doing it all day every day, or just for a few hours a day, it can be just as grueling as any other job.
In fact, there are many tough jobs out there with striking similarities to parenthood. So, I’ve picked out three jobs that being a parent is incredibly similar to. Check them out here.
Business Manager
In many respects, being a parent is comparable to running a business. You’re both in charge of different things, and take on plenty of responsibilities. The difference is that a business manager will look after a company with a team of employees and oversee the smooth running of the organisation. As a parent, you’ll look after your family which includes your kids and ensure every day runs smoothly. You’re entrusted with making sure they’re on time for school and get their food every day and do their homework when you come home from school. You’ve also got a budget to manage much like a business manager does. Your budget revolves around things you buy for your home like food, children’s clothes, etc. A business manager’s budget revolves around their company. However, you’re both hell bent on saving as much cash as possible for the good of your family/business. Similarly, you have to control your children and make sure they behave well or else their bad behaviour reflects badly on you and your family. It’s the same as a manager managing their employees and ensuring their behaviour doesn’t reflect badly on their company. There are so many similarities you can draw upon from a business manager’s job and the life of a modern day parent.
Nurse
As a parent, a lot of the daily tasks you do will replicate that of a nurse. You have to take care of others and ensure that they’re feeling okay and cater to their beck and call. Likewise, if you notice they start to get sick, it’s your job to make sure they feel better and take the right medicine at the right time. To be honest, there are loads of healthcare jobs that are relatable to parenthood, but it I think nursing is the most similar. The traits that make up a great nurse are very similar to those that make up a great parent. You must be compassionate, caring, having good time management, be able to think on your feet, and so on and so forth. Granted, these are traits you need to have in a lot of jobs these days. However, I feel that being a parent involves a big emphasis on looking after the health of your children. If you’ve ever had sick children, then you’ll know that it’s your job to make them feel better and look after them. In some respects, when your children are unwell, you become their nurse.
Teacher
Of the three jobs mentioned in this article, this final one is probably the one that links to parenthood most directly. After all, for the first few years of their life, you are your children’s teacher. You teach them everything they need to know, from how to eat with a knife and fork to how to say thank you when someone does something for them. As a parent, you get your child ready for school by teaching them crucial things that will help them during their education, but, it doesn’t stop there, you also continue teaching them things throughout their life too. You teach them rules and ideas that they should live by. I do things to this day and will often realise the reason I do them is because I was taught by my parents! Plus, the typical days for a teacher and a parent are similar. You’re both up early on, you’re both dealing with children for long periods, and you both have a lot of stress as a result. Oh, and teachers are often very under appreciated for the hard work and effort they put in every day – much like parents.
I think it’s fair to say that parenthood is no walk in the park. As these comparisons show, it’s something that’s equally as tough as any normal job, but of course, totally worth every ounce of effort!
4 comments
Youve hit the nail on the head with these – so many skills required and totally underestimated by many
My husband thinks I do nothing all day, I’ll be showing him this
Absolutely, nothing like being a mother!