Whether a mom works inside the home or outside of it, there is always work to be done and that mom is always working. If it’s not changing diapers and singing lullabies it’s turning in assignments and submitting invoices. If it's not cleaning up the house or getting someone ready for soccer practice, it's balancing budgets and planning high-level meetings. There are things every grown-ass man can do for a working mom; things that combat sexism and keep gender stereotypes from deciding who does what inside (and outside) the house; things that can assist a working mom when she's feeling guilty or exhausted or overwhelmed.
At the end of the day, all moms deserve some help and recognition and support from their parenting partner, especially if that partner considers themselves to be a grown-ass man. I would argue that all mothers will inevitably feel guilty and exhausted and overwhelmed, regardless of where they're working, but working mothers definitely hear things that stay-at-home moms don't, and sometimes those messages need to be combated with love and support from a parenting partner.
If you’re not currently a working mom, just think about what you would want when you get home from work. For some, that could mean control of the Netflix or maybe a nice cup of tea. For others, it might mean a big meal and some cuddle time with a puppy. Other moms just want a break from everything and some solo time to recoup from the day. Honestly, exactly what a working mother needs from her partner varies from woman to woman, but there are some pretty obvious things every (or at least most) working mom needs that a grown-ass man can accommodate, including:
He Streamlines Dinners
Couples arguing over what to eat for dinner is nothing new, just like the endless fighting over what to feed the kids. The last thing anyone wants to do, especially after having to sit on a crowded subway or deal with bumper-to-bumper traffic directly following a long work day, is figure out what the entire family needs to eat. Grown-ass men streamline this process in various ways. They can cook dinner or bring home a family favorite, plan meals on the weekends or grocery shop for specific ingredients. Either way, they're part of the process so the burden of deciding who eats what doesn't fall entirely on the working mom.
He Asks His Partner About Her Day
Nothing sucks more than being reunited with someone after a long work day only to have them forget to ask you how your day was. Grown-ass men understand the importance of talking about your day. They’ll ask you about the small details and the potential work drama and the coming week, because venting about work is necessary and sharing the part of your day they didn't experience can help you two feel closer.
He Helps With Kid Extracurricular Activities
Hopefully, you and your partner try to be there as much as possible for all of your children’s special moments: field trips, little league games, gymnastics tournaments, you name it. When mom has to work late or go away for a few days and the kid(s) have activities, a grown-ass man will step in and chauffeur the kids to ballet class, attend their soccer games, and whip up the bake sale brownies as needed.
He Facilitates "Me Time" For His Partner
Self-care for working moms is so important. Really, self-care for everyone is important, but working moms have a stronger tendency to forget the necessity and put everyone and everything else, first. Between what’s going on at work and what’s happening at home, working moms rarely schedule some time for themselves. That's why a grown-ass man will block out time for his partner to go jogging, hit derby practice, take a bath, or simply sit with a glass of wine and a good book.
He Does The Laundry, Especially For The Kids
Grown-ass dudes are well aware that gender identity is not a factor when deciding who does the laundry. He will wash his own clothes and the kid's clothes and, hey, even his partner's clothes. He will actually take it out of the machines and fold them and put the clothes away, and he will do all of this not just because he's a grown-ass man in a partnership, but because he's a damn adult. Like, you guys, it's not difficult.
He Makes Sure/Reminds His Partner To Fill Up The Car/Metro Card
Few things make a Monday morning suck more than pulling out of your driveway to find your tank is out of gas. Considerate, grown-ass men will often fill a mom’s gas tank over the weekend (or at least remind her to do it). For those who live in commuter towns, that just might mean they remember to get her a transit card so she’s not having to count dollar bills at the station as her train flies by.
He Stockpiles Grab-And-Go Food
Studies have shown that working moms eat poorly. By stocking a kitchen full of fresh fruit (bananas, apples), cut-up veggies and dip, hummus and chip packs, protein bars, and other quick and easy (and healthy) snacks, working moms get to eat just a little better.
He Provides A Little Pampering
All moms deserve a bit of pampering. This is differently from self-care, because it’s not about her planning it or facilitating it but about someone else treating her to a spa day or to whatever else she might find to be pampering.
He Plans Vacations
Working moms just don’t have the time to make all the plans for a good vacation. Grown-ass men will often plan out a vacation from plane tickets to hotel stays to activities in between. Working moms (any moms, really) would likely appreciate this. So long as the vacation isn’t only filled with activities for him, of course.
