Parents get less than 1 hour alone per day, survey (and your life) shows

To the mom begging for just five minutes of alone time, you’re not alone: A new poll found most parents average 48 minutes of peace and quiet each day. According to HelloFresh, which conducted the survey of 2,000 parents, the vast majority of us wish we had more time.

But, between caring for the kids, making meals and cleaning up the debris fields that are our homes, most parents don’t kick up their feet until well after 9 p.m. That’s aligned with another recent study that found most moms hit the ground running at 6:23 a.m. (For a total of 98+ hours of work per week.)

After going non-stop for nearly 15 hours, it’s not surprising that only 12% of parents said they had energy for their own enjoyable hobbies.

As for what is devouring our time in the evenings, the biggest culprits include: preparing dinner, doing the dishes, getting the kids to bed and cleaning. And while those things have to be done, the solution may lie in allowing ourselves to take the easy way out every once and a while.

Order pizza. Break out the paper plates. Do a *good enough* cleaning job to hold you over until the weekend. Don’t put the kids to bed and see how long they can make it. (Kidding! That one should still be a priority.)

“Family life has become a juggling act. Where more parents are working to make ends meet, evenings are no longer a time to relax and unwind,” says HelloFresh CEO Claire Davenport. “Evenings used to be an opportunity for families to come together, but with so much to get done moms and dads are left with a fraction of time to make dinner into a family event.”

Whether it’s with a dinner kit or a new Monday Cereal Night tradition, we say it’s beneficial for everyone when mom and dad get a bit more time to themselves. After all, it’s pretty amazing how many more self-care opportunities are available if you can extend those 48 minutes into an hour—or longer!

We’re rooting for you, mama. ?