Being the default parent is heavy

 Being the default parent is heavy.

It's more than just the laundry, the meals, the errands.
It's the mental load that never ends.
The invisible list only you seem to carry.
The sacrifices that go unseen but are felt every single day.
It's noticing the details no one else notices.
The shoes that don't fit anymore.
The snacks running low.
The permission slip no one remembered but you.
It's love, yes. But it's also lonely.
It's the kind of exhaustion that sits deep in your bones, because you're always the one holding it together.
But it's also the way those little arms wrap around your neck.
The way they look at you like you're their whole world.
The way their love somehow gives you the strength to keep going, even when you feel like you have nothing left to give.
To every mom carrying it all I see you.
I know the weight you hold.
You are not alone.