Is the Mental Load a Badge of Honor?
From We’re Doing Great | A Podcast for Imperfect Parents by Pok Pok by Pok Pok
March 17, 2026 · 33 min · Season 1 · Episode 16
About this episode
Melissa and Esther discuss the invisible responsibilities of parenting and the mental load that often goes unrecognized.
Are you carrying invisible responsibilities that no one else even realizes exist? If your brain feels like it has forty tabs open at once, this episode will feel painfully familiar in the best possible way. Melissa and Esther have an honest, funny, and thoughtful conversation about the invisible labor of parenting, the resentment that can build around it, and the ways parents sometimes add pressure to their own plates. You will walk away with a sharper way to think about mental load, more compassion for yourself, and a few simple ideas for talking about it at home. Write in to us at hello@parentingapparently.com Subscribe and follow Parenting, Apparently , a podcast by Melissa Cash, Esther Huybreghts, and the Pok Pok team: YouTube Pok Pok YouTube Instagram Pok Pok helps raise the next generation of creative thinkers through non-addictive digital tools that encourage kids to think outside the box and learn through play. Learn more: https://playpokpok.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
People in this episode
Hosts: Melissa, Esther
Topics covered
- mental load
- parenting
- invisible labor
- responsibility
- communication
Keywords
- mental load
- parenting
- invisible responsibilities
- communication
- family dynamics
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