{"id":807300,"date":"2026-05-19T11:06:18","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:06:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/807300\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T11:06:18","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T11:06:18","slug":"the-work-never-stops-moms-say-invisible-mental-load-takes-toll-on-mental-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/807300\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018The work never stops\u2019: Moms say invisible \u2018mental load\u2019 takes toll on mental health"},"content":{"rendered":"

NOVI, Mich.<\/strong> \u2013 Moms often joke about running things around the house, but experts say the mental load many parents carry is real and exhausting, and it\u2019s impacting the mental health of the default parent.<\/p>\n

That mental load is the invisible work of remembering, planning, anticipating, and emotionally managing an entire household.<\/p>\n

For Mental Health Awareness Month, Kimberly Gill spoke with one local mom who says the work never really stops.<\/p>\n

The mental load is about how the system of modern-day parenting often leaves one person carrying most of the invisible responsibilities and what we can do to fix it.<\/p>\n

For Novi mom Ebony Bagley, managing her household requires constant organization.<\/p>\n

\u201cI write everything here so we can see it,\u201d Bagley says while flipping through family calendars and schedules spread across her home.<\/p>\n

Bagley is a former teacher and news producer who chose a flexible work-from-home career so she could be more present for her two young children. But she says the real challenge is not just completing the tasks of parenting, it\u2019s the constant mental planning behind them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m the one who\u2019s taking the kids to activities, scheduling, remembering everything, I\u2019m writing it all down.\u201d Bagley said. \u201cEven when I have a moment, it\u2019s like, \u2018Okay, that\u2019s a moment to think about what do I need to do next, organize next.\u2019 So I feel like, a lot of it has to do with what we put on ourselves in this new generation of things but a lot of it is just making sure everyone has everything they need and I feel like I\u2019m the one to manage all that \u201d<\/p>\n

She says the mental load follows her long after the day is over.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome days I think I should just stop and see what happens because you know, because I think like a lot of moms with think \u2018Do they even see? They don\u2019t see the mental load, I think that\u2019s why it\u2019s such an invisible \u2026 no one sees me up at night after everyone\u2019s in bed writing everything down, so yeah if I stopped being organized, I think it would be chaotic,\u201d Bagley said.<\/p>\n

Researchers call it \u201cmental load\u201d or \u201cinvisible labor,\u201d the unpaid and often unseen work of managing a family\u2019s entire life.<\/p>\n

That can include<\/b>:<\/p>\n