Motherhood is one of the most difficult jobs that exists. With no time off and far from enough help, it can be overwhelming and stressful. So much so, that many mothers online admitted to daydreaming about a forced break in the form of a hospital stay.
Moms are admitting to fantasizing about being hospitalized with a ‘moderately serious’ issue because they’re so burnt out.
“(I don’t know) if the lack of community care in our culture is more evident than when moms casually say they daydream about being hospitalized for something only moderately serious so that they are forced to not have any responsibilities for like 3 days,” stay-at-home mom Emily May wrote in an X post.
In a follow-up tweet, she added, “And other moms are like ‘yeah totally’ while childfree Gen Z girls’ mouths hang open in horror.”
While this may sound shocking to non-parents, she was far from the only mom to share this sentiment.
Many moms online related to May’s fantasy.
Some parents admitted to having similar daydreams. One user shared that she mentioned the thought in a therapy session and, to her surprise, her therapist assured her it was incredibly common.
Other moms confessed that they when were actually hospitalized for an illness, the break was indeed pleasant.
“I got mastitis when my first was 4 months old. I had to have surgery, but my hospital room had a nice view, my mom came to see me, the baby was with me but other people mostly took care of her,” one user wrote. “Bliss.”
“I have the fondest memories of my appendicitis that almost burst 3 weeks after my third was born,” another mom shared. “I had to go get it taken out and I mean I let my neighbor take my toddlers and I let my husband give the baby formula, and I slept until I was actually rested. Under the knife, but still. It was really nice.”
Some women in the thread pointed out that the reason so many moms feel this burnt out is because their husbands refuse to pick up the slack. In their absence, they’re left having to do everything on their own. While this is true in many cases, May emphasized that sometimes spousal support is simply not enough.
The mom insisted that ‘community care’ is necessary.
Many parents today are struggling to find the much-touted village. According to a 2024 national survey66% of parents surveyed felt the demands of parenthood sometimes or frequently left them feeling isolated and lonely, while nearly 40% felt as if they had no one to support them in their parenting role.
For mothers, the numbers seem to be even worse. Research done by The Century Foundation found that 33% of moms report an increase in stress as a result of childcare challenges.
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These alarming statistics are the reason why May encourages stressed and burnt-out moms to reach out to other mothers who might feel the same way. Forming relationships and bonds with people who not only understand your struggles but can help you through them is invaluable.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
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