On this Labor Day, I’m reminded that if American women earned minimum wage for the unpaid work they do around the house and caring for relatives, they would have made $1.5 trillion last year.
Women’s Unpaid Labor is Worth $10,900,000,000,000
A mother’s love is priceless, right? A labor of love is productive work performed voluntarily without material reward or compensation, an altruistic work or undertaking. This is what parents, especially mothers, do for their children, and ultimately, society.
One idea to share the load is to have dads take on bedtime. In particular, burning the energy to prepare for sleep. How? Yoga.
Here are 3 ways to help the kids wind down and be ready to rest:
- Frog Jumps: squat like a frog and jump up and down several times. Jump as high as you can and land on your feet. Try this 8 times.
- Donkey Kicks: from downward dog, kick both feet up to your bottom at the same time and land on your feet together. Try this 5 times.
- Star/Mountain (Yoga Jacks): Stand tall and strong with hands at sides, then jump feet and hands wide to make a star. Then, back to the mountain. Repeat 10 times fast.
After these active moves, kids are typically ready to cuddle, read and rest. If not, do the whole thing again until they are! You can learn more health tips in our Zen Parenting workshop.
Look for other ways you can share the load. Try the Post-it challenge to see how much both parents are responsible for around the house. Take note!
