Happy "Emotional Labor" Day

Sep 05, 2022

Today was Labor Day in the U.S.

And while all jobs everywhere deserve to be honored, perhaps none deserve to be recognized more than the job of parenting. 

It is the silent job that so many of us do in the background of our "real jobs." It's the one we don't get paid for, that has no time off, and yet it is also the one job that defines us most of all.

It literally changes our first name.
Our time.
Our priorities.

It messes with our sleep schedule.
Our ability to leave the dang house on time.
And sometimes quite literally our sanity.

It is the one most likely to keep us up at night, worrying endlessly:

Is this one making friends yet?
Will that one go to school this year without sobbing?
Can this one get a handle on his obsession with video games?
Will that one ever stop clawing at her sister?

And then your thoughts turn to you...

Did you fill out all those school forms on time?
Can your marriage actually withstand this much stress?
Is this all there is to being a grown up?

The relentlessness. The worry. The exhaustion.

And it is in that moment you remember:

The little fingers that wrap so tightly around your thumb,
The giggle squeals that happen every time your toddler sees the dog,
The little lunchbox swinging happily at your kindergartner's side, The beaming pride on your daughter's face that night she won the game,
The strong shoulders of your 8th grader as they carried all those groceries in for the neighbor,
The text your high schooler sent you letting you know they need your help with a friend situation.  

And in a flash, you know what you are doing it for. 

For something so.much.more. than money. 

This is a job we do for love. 

I salute you and the real labor you do for your families every single day and for many of you, every single night still. 

You hard-working parents deserve a union that watches over you, as you watch over your family. 

We see that as a huge part of our job at MFA: to give you the tools, the community, and the framework to do your job with dignity. We hold the vision you have for your family when you are too tired to, or too triggered to; and then we stand by your side as you learn how to turn that vision into a reality. 

Happy Emotional Labor Day. We see you and all you do. And we think you're awesome. 

Just wanted you to know that...

P.S. Have you snagged your MFA STARTER PACK yet? 👇

GET YOUR STARTER PACK NOW