When you are solo parenting, what is the worst part of it?
For me, it feels like the days DRAG! I have no idea why it feels like the day is going so slow...maybe lack of adult interaction for the most part? I've been solo for a few days and have a few more to go and I can't wait for it to be over, haha!
cantaloupe / 6086 posts
There is something mental about it for me. On an average weekday my kids see dh for maybe 15 minutes at bedtime so it's not like it's truly a big difference, but mentally we all have something new to look forward to.
pineapple / 12053 posts
not being able to relax during dinner/meals. DH works 24 shifts, so when he's gone, he's GONE. so during the day, i can hang since i'm used to that, but by dinnertime, i'm just like, let me cook in peace! or eat without having to toil over dinner. or get the girls into the tub without worrying about cleaning up dinner, etc.
i usually can barely clean up after dinner when the girls get to bed before i give up a watch a show. 
when DH is home, that dinner/bedtime routine is just so much more relaxing! i even enjoy cleaning up when he's home because i'm not worried about the girls ruining their room while i'm in the kitchen, etc.
persimmon / 1310 posts
Mainly, it's having to incorporate pet care into our day. We have no yard, so I have to take on my husband's duty and go out and walk the dog three times a day (pregnant, with a toddler in tow) no matter the weather. It messes with our schedule, and the dog also gets stubborn and refuses to walk sometimes. She's 80 pounds, so I can't force her to move; we all stand there, frustrated. We looked into a dog walker, but it's crazy expensive here. Now if the weather is expected to be really bad, I take the dog to boarding.
pomegranate / 3438 posts
For me it's daycare pick up and the evening rush. DH travels for a week or two every month. While I was on maternity leave it was no big deal. Now that I'm back to work I dread those nights. I have a cranky 3 month old that just wants to nurse, a five year old that wants dinner. Plus all the lunch boxes, bottles and pump parts to wash. Then get everything ready for the next day.
honeydew / 7622 posts
For me it's the physical care of a nearly 30 lb child. I have some back problems so it can really be difficult on back to back weeks on my wellness.
Also on long 5 day weeks since I mostly SAH it's the long days especially when I don't have help.
hostess / papaya / 10540 posts
Having to be fully on at all times and not getting much of a break until after bedtime.
grapefruit / 4455 posts
On a day to day basis, less adult interaction.
On days where my health issues are a problem (relatively minor non life threatening stuff but still uncomfortable/painful) then it is trying to get through the day with no help doing the physical stuff.
cantaloupe / 6131 posts
I'm an introvert so I'm not my best self and the best version of mom if I've been touched and prodded and yelled at all day without a break. I also have a hard time eating with distraction so I rarely eat when the kids eat - meaning I skip meals a lot. Evenings with a cranky toddler and a whining clingy baby when I need to get dinner on the table or clean up afterwards is also so draining. It's just hot chaos.
wonderful cherry / 21504 posts
For me, it's just that even after I've fed them 3 meals plus snacks a day, plus everything else, and I finally get them to bed, the kitchen is still a mess and I have to do all the cleaning up and getting ready for the next day by myself. And not having anyone to talk to after that- I could make a phone call but I'm so tired I end up zoning out in front of the tv and going to bed.
DH works fairly long hours so he's not home predictably for dinner or something like that, but at least I can time baths and stuff on his early nights so I can clean up while he does bath and then we are free once the kids are in bed.
kiwi / 698 posts
Bedtime. Hands down. My 7 week olds witching hour is right at my 2 year olds bedtime and it's horrible. Tears from everyone.
eggplant / 11716 posts
The nights! When I don't get enough sleep, I'm not a happy camper. My kids aren't great sleepers to begin with, but DH was gone last week for a 6 day business trip to London and Glasgow and of course I had a terrible cold, and the LO1 got pink eye and then LO2 had a 3 day fever that we found out was strep and I didn't sleep more than 4 hours a night for at least 5 nights.
And now I have strep. 
The nights, for sure.
pear / 1642 posts
After bedtime. When I go downstairs and all I want to do is sit on the couch but dinner has to be cleaned up, bottles have to be washed and re-filled, dog has to be walked, etc Ugh. We all look forward to the nights daddy is home!
honeydew / 7463 posts
The 4 hours between nap and bedtime just seems to draaaaaag on foreverrrrrrr.
blogger / wonderful cherry / 21628 posts
@SweetiePie: same!
The afternoons, early evenings are hard. Sometimes DD wakes up cranky and it's hard to get dinner ready, get her fed, bathed, and in bed. Also physically it's tough right now. I'm exhausted by the time she's asleep!
eggplant / 11861 posts
Week day evening rush....
Home
Dinner
Clean up
Try to play for a.few
Baths
Baby in bed
kiwi / 556 posts
For me it's the loneliness of being separated from DH that is what wears on me the most. I usually have someone come stay with me if possible when DH is out of town for awhile and it kind of helps. But since I've been pregnant I'm just too exhausted to deal with a guest plus solo parenting, so when DH goes out of town I just get so down! He's got a mandatory work trip that will have me soloing with a toddler and a newborn and I'm dreading it so much!
honeydew / 7622 posts
@newlypregnantlady: good point. DH and I are so close and I miss him so much. Not just as a co parent but my person that I'm so so in love with. It's easier to solo parent than it was for me before we had kids. His last overnight trip was a week before DD was born and I remember thinking I would never be alone overnight again which was bittersweet.
persimmon / 1286 posts
Mornings! DH usually gets up before me and gets DS up and they have breakfast together. When he travels, I obviously do it and it's so.hard.for.me.
I know I should get up a few minutes early to put my contacts in and get his breakfast together, but I always stay in bed until the last second and then feel so rushed. And then it's so hard to get myself ready for the day once DS is up.
pomegranate / 3595 posts
I think the hardest thing is feeling like there is not enough of me and my attention to go around. So there are all these trade offs that leave me unsatisfied:
-if I play before starting dinner then everyone ka hungry and cranky
-if i cook dinner first then everyone is clingy
-if I clean up after dinner the kids don't get attention
-if I don't clean up after dinner then all.the.things have to get cleaned and done after everyone ka asleep
-etc etc etc
I try to make the best of it with quality time. And rotate the activities--some nights I will clean but other nights I play.
Plus the things that help my sanity the most are making doing all.the.things "fun" like listening to a podcast or watching something mindless as I clean, and not sitting down until the things are done! Then trying to have a little down time for myself, even if I stay up late!
pomelo / 5258 posts
I'm rarely solo but I am on day one of a five day stretch. The worst thing this time is DD being sick. DH works from home a few days a week so he does the majority of daytime sick care. That's been especially helpful as I'm a relatively new employee trying to prove myself with almost no sick time. I'm trying to stay on top of my inbox during the day and work after bedtime. It's a lot on top of meals, chores, and pickup/dropoff of LO2.
kiwi / 556 posts
@youboots: my DH pretty regularly works late (usually home around 9-10), so I SAH all day and then do dinner and bedtime solo for several days in a row and even those days I'm so much happier. Even though I don't get any help with DD I'm able to connect with him at night when he comes home and it helps me immensely. It's pretty amazing to me how much his presence changes my mood (maybe because my love language is touch?).
honeydew / 7622 posts
@newlypregnantlady: I totally hear you. Now that I'm a parent I'm more of a touch person in general. I hate sleeping alone. It's so lonely.
clementine / 935 posts
Definitely being bored and feeling like the days drag. I'm solo parenting right now and I feel like I'm losing my mind by bedtime. If we get out or see friends it's better, so I try to make plans.
@Corduroy: I hear you! I feel like 90% of the time DD gets sick it's when DH is out of town, and he's not out of town that often! I think she has croup now and I'm terrified of dealing with it alone if she wakes up having a hard time breathing tonight 
kiwi / 598 posts
Not having enough time to get everything done before bedtime. I don't get off work until 5 and with a longish commute, pickup, groceries/cooking and bath time it's a real struggle to feed and put LO to sleep in time without DH to share those duties.
For DH's last few work trips, including this week, I've given up and just taken vacation time to stay at home.
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