🌞 Is Yard Work Quietly Destroying Your Relationship? 🌿💔

Let’s talk about summer yard work—and more specifically, if you are the one left picking up the pieces while your partner spends their weekends outside, pretending the lawn is a priority over everything else.

You know the drill: the “quick” yard work that turns into hours of mowing, trimming, and constantly finding weeds sprouting up just to haunt you. But it’s not just about the yard—it’s about everything else that’s piling up while your partner is out there with their rake, leaving you to juggle the household on your own.

Here’s how this can wreck your relationship:

1️⃣ You’re Running the Show (Alone): What was supposed to be a team effort quickly turns into you doing everything—laundry, dishes, kids, meals—while your partner is MIA, living in their “yard work zone.” They might even think they’re being helpful, but it’s leaving you feeling overwhelmed, underappreciated, and frankly, a little resentful. 💔

2️⃣ You’re the Default Parent/Household CEO: While they’re mowing the lawn, you’re stuck managing all the other tasks. The kids, the meal prep, the bills, the cleaning—it never ends. And if you haven’t had a conversation about how to divide responsibilities fairly, guess who ends up as the one running the household? Yep, it’s you. 😓

3️⃣ The Invisible Load: It’s not just the physical labor, it’s the mental load of remembering that “someone” needs to schedule the plumber, or order groceries, or handle the kids’ sports. And now, you’ve got to deal with the fact that they are out in the yard, leaving you to juggle it all. This isn't a one-off; it's a pattern. 😩

4️⃣ Resentment is Growing Faster Than the Grass: It’s hard to stay connected when you’re always the one cleaning up the mess while they’re out there acting like the yard is their personal kingdom. The more they focus on the lawn, the more you feel like you’re carrying the weight of everything else—and that can easily breed frustration, bitterness, and distance. 😤

So, what can you do?

✅ Set Boundaries and Communicate: You don’t have to keep this to yourself! Talk to your partner about how the current setup is affecting you—and the relationship. Be clear about how the imbalance in responsibilities is making you feel.

✅ Divide the Tasks (Fairly!): Yard work is important, but so is everything else. Agree on how you’re going to split tasks moving forward so that you’re not left managing the household while your partner is in the garden.

✅ Ask for Help (And Don’t Feel Guilty About It): If it’s getting to the point where you’re overwhelmed, it’s time for your partner to step up. You deserve to have some of the burden lifted too and I can help!

Yard work can be a “small” thing, but when it’s affecting your time, your relationship, and your mental health, it’s time to have that conversation. You don’t have to carry this load alone. Let’s talk about how to make things fair again.