Mom Accused Of Always Overpacking Makes Family Earn The Things She Brought For Them That They Forgot To Pack For Themselves
Even vacations are riddled with emotional labor for moms.
Prostock-studio | Shutterstock A mom admitted that she came up with a plan to counteract complaints that she always overpacks for family vacations and outings. Considering moms are usually the ones who think ahead and make sure they're prepared for every possible scenario, she decided to make a point that she's actually the glue holding everyone together.
In a TikTok video, mom JJ made a proposition for her entire family: everyone would pack their own bags for the trip. Assigning them each the task, JJ simply sat back and watched as her family quickly realized that packing wasn't all that easy when they were the ones doing it.
A mom made her family earn the things she brought for them that they forgot to pack themselves.
Sitting in the car with her family as they traveled for their vacation to Kalahari water park, JJ confirmed with her husband and kids the pact that they were all packing for themselves. JJ admitted that she even helped them each out a little bit and gave them some guidelines, so they weren't completely in the dark.
"So Dad always tells Mommy she overpacks," JJ said. "Tells me I bring way too much stuff. So here's my plan for this trip to ensure we didn't overpack. I just told y'all to pack yourselves."
JJ claimed that by watching her husband and kids pack their own suitcases, she noticed that there were still some things missing that they would surely need. So, being the good mom that she is, JJ packed those things into her own luggage. But, she wasn't just going to let her family have them without putting in any work, especially since she let them know in advance how this would work.
The mom told her family they would need to pay her in 'mom time' if they needed something she brought.
"I don't wanna mess with y'alls money because I know you're saving," JJ continued. Her family joked that she would need them to pay up through "kisses and hugs," but JJ had something else in mind. "If you need an item out of the bag, it's 20 minutes of mom time."
She explained that when they got back home from the trip, whenever she wanted, she would be able to get 20 minutes of uninterrupted "leave mom alone, chill time." The value for each item would also go up depending on what they were. For example, something small like sunscreen probably wouldn't be a lot, but something big like a pool cover-up, which JJ specifically told everyone to pack, or a hoodie to keep them warm at dinner would be costly.
"Dad's gotta pay cash," JJ pointed out. "Because Dad's got adult money. Do you think that'll work for the trip? We'll see how it goes and how much mom time I end up with at the end of the trip because I have a good idea of how much it'll be."
For family vacations, moms are usually the ones exerting the most energy to organize them.
Ketut Subiyanto | Canva Pro
According to a survey by CivicScience, the company asked thousands of American adults how they plan their time off. When respondents were asked where the responsibility of planning and packing falls, 46% of women admitted to doing the majority of both, compared to 26% of male respondents.
Twenty-one percent of male respondents claimed that their spouse usually handles the planning and packing, while only 7% of women admitted that their spouse would shoulder that burden instead of letting it fall on them. This, of course, goes right back to the mental load which seems to always be carried by women.
Mercedes Samudio, psychotherapist and author, told HuffPost, "This parent usually knows where all the documents are, has the family schedule, and is in contact with the family and community to keep everyone moving."
JJ decided that instead of simply carrying the load as she always does, especially when it came with a string of criticisms and accusations, she would put her family to the test to see if they would be able to survive something as straightforward as packing and organizing their own things for the vacation. Of course, now, no one would probably ever question her overpacking again.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
