Because that’s the thing about this load. It’s invisible. It’s unpaid. And somehow, it’s still the most important job I’ve ever done.
This is the mental spreadsheet. It runs 24/7. It has tabs for: pediatrician appointments, birthday party RSVPs, who last used the EpiPen, whether the school’s “spirit week” is tomorrow or next Tuesday, and the exact emotional temperature of my partner. No one taught me how to build it. I just woke up one day three years postpartum and realized I’d become the CEO of a failing startup called Us . mutha magazine article by alison
For a moment, I was jealous. And then I went inside and bought the oval crackers. Because that’s the thing about this load
Here’s a short piece written in the style of an article for Mutha Magazine , by a writer named Alison. Mutha typically explores the raw, unvarnished, and often humorous or painful realities of motherhood—centering voices that challenge the pristine, conventional narrative. The Unseen Load: On Motherhood and the Mental Spreadsheet And somehow, it’s still the most important job