Have you ever stopped to think about all the work moms do for us every day?
From changing our diapers to washing our dirty laundry (sometimes well into adulthood), and even just making sure we have good food in our bellies.
Moms are working overtime for us, even if they’re working full-time jobs too. If you’ve never thought about just how much time and energy go into even the simplest of parenthood tasks, we’re here to break it down for you. From the moment we’re born, moms don’t just feed us – they’re also on 24-hour watch duty when it comes to dirty diapers. If you don’t happen to have children of your own, it may be hard to imagine just how many wet or smelly diapers an infant can create.
From birth until the day they’re potty trained, the average baby goes through 3,796 diapers. If your mom had a co-parent (or super sidekick) to help her with half of the work, that’s still nearly 1,900 diaper changes.
Those 1,900 dirty diapers placed side by side would stretch nearly the length of two football fields, and a two-minute change for each would still equate to more than two-and-a-half days of nonstop diaper changing. Now that’s a feat of super strength!
What about your dirty clothes? For years, it may have seemed like they magically washed themselves – disappearing from your bedroom, bathroom, and closet floors – and manifested into the dresser drawers they started in.
In reality, the average family does between eight and 10 loads of laundry every single week. If your mom dueled with only two of those loads, it would still equate to 1,872 cycles of laundry from the day you were born until the moment you turned 18.
If you think washing a few pairs of socks and dirty jeans is no big deal, picture that over 1,800 baskets of unclean clothing could actually fill more than two average-sized swimming pools. This feat alone makes any mother worthy of legendary status.
Between all the other daily tasks your mom might have been juggling, if each of these 1,800 loads of laundry took her an hour to gather, wash, fold, and put away – she will have spent over 11 weeks of her life doing your laundry (imagine if you have siblings)!
Close your eyes and imagine your favorite home-cooked meal. Is it Mom’s famous formula for mac and cheese or something seasonal, like Thanksgiving dinner? Either way, our moms spent a lot of time testing and mixing ingredients to make sure we were properly fed and nourished, even if we didn’t always want to finish the greens on our plates.
If your mom cooked just one homemade meal for you each day while growing up, it would still equal more than 6,500 meals. If she made 6,570 meals, those plates stacked one by one could reach higher than the Eiffel Tower. Think about that the next time your mother jokingly suggests you should take her to Paris for her birthday.
And, of course, those meals didn’t just appear out of thin air. They took the time to prep, cook, and even clean up afterward. If your mom spent just one hour perfecting the chemistry of each of your meals, it means she spent roughly 39 weeks standing over a hot stove.
When we’re growing up, it seems like Mom is there for just about everything. From diapers to laundry and even our meals, moms don’t get a day off from loving us or making sure we’re taken care of.
The moment you turn 18, you’ll have been alive for over 157,000 hours. The reality is your mom has been working around the clock for your entire life. If she got paid for all that work – even just the minimum wage – she’d have earned over $63,000 per year.
If she made the national median wage rather than just minimum wage? Mom would have had a six-figure job, earning over $156,000 per year. Do the math. Over 18 years, your mom should have been a millionaire more than twice over.
Be Thankful
Moms don’t get paid for their time, and that’s probably just fine if you ask them. Their love for us extends beyond smelly diapers and mountains of dirty laundry. The days, weeks, months, and years moms spend making sure we’re prepared for adulthood and real life are some of our best memories.
This Mother’s Day, show her how much you care. Cook dinner for her or help fold the laundry. Of course, flowers and chocolates are always nice too. And if you’re feeling extra grateful this Mother’s Day, she probably wouldn’t say no to that trip to Paris.
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