“I do Elf on the Shelf; get over it. My decision to stay up late sticking googly eyes on all the items in my fridge is about making my ten-year-old laugh on a cold December Friday morning. It’s not adding to the mental load.”

Our writer's Elf pictured inside the fridge surrounded by items of food with googly eyes stuck on and a sign that says 'All eyes are on you. PS It's cold in here'.

Not everything we do as mums is about the mental load. There; I said it. Some things are just for fun, and it’s okay to let other parents enjoy what they enjoy, even if you don’t. 

I’m not saying the mental load isn’t real. The list of all the unseen things I do to keep my family of five fed, watered, safe, healthy, and vaguely nurtured is huge. That can be a heavy weight to carry. It’s also true, as our Family Editor writes, that knowing how to explain the mental load to your partner, if you have one, is important for maintaining your sanity as a mum, not to mention keeping your relationship on the rails amid all the pressures that parents face.