How to Share Parental Responsibilities Evenly

In any family, it is important that you negotiate and delegate parental responsibilities evenly.  It is important that you find a balance for your parental duties, so that neither parent is overwhelmed or left feeling guilty.

New Baby Care

One example of a good balance with parental duties can be the correct care of a newborn.  If Mom is able to stay at home with the new arrival, and Dad works during the day, it is actually best that Dad shares the responsibilities (diaper changing, feeding, playtime, etc.) when he gets home.  This gives Mom a break and ensures that Dad is able to do his share of parental responsibilities.

Reward and Punishment

Another good example is in the area of doling out punishment to children.  Often, one parent seems to be the “go to” person for handing out discipline for infractions and rule breaking.  However, this can undermine your family structure.  It is best that both Mom and Dad split these parental responsibilities, so that children do not form an impression that one or the other is the “mean” parent.

Daily Routine Responsibilities

Getting children up and ready for daycare or school is also a parental duty, and one that can easily be split.  Consider alternating days; one day Dad is in charge, and the next day Mom has the duty.  If there are several children, then you can split these parental duties by having one parent help one child and the other parent helping the other child.

There are numerous other parental responsibilities that need to be balanced as well, such as dishes, cooking, grocery shopping and laundry.  Ideally, both Mom and Dad should have an equal share of these parental responsibilities to ensure a healthy, thriving household.