Surviving Parenthood Without Loosing Yourself

We start the conversation excited for our favorite day of the week, where we get to enjoy a fun discussion. We share how busy the week has been, but the time we get to spend together uninterrupted feels special. We launch into our regular segment, laughing about how we never seem to remember the title correctly. This week, we focus on stories of husbands making poor decisions. For example, we talk about a man at a football game holding a sign that reads, “My wife is having a baby, but I’m here.”

We joke about how his decision probably isn’t well received and debate the merits of being in such situations. As usual, we love to play devil’s advocate, trying to imagine what leads to those decisions and if they could be different. We share our personal experiences, including the difficulties of waiting during childbirth and the different stresses we face as parents.

The conversation also covers the emotional and mental challenges of parenting. We discuss how losing oneself in parenthood is a real struggle, with a larger percentage of women feeling this loss compared to men. We reflect on how balancing careers, parenthood, and personal identity is tough for both of us, and how important it is to find time for ourselves so that we can better show up for our families.

Finally, we wrap up the discussion by addressing some listener questions, exploring the importance of showing up for ourselves in order to be there for our loved ones.