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- Here's Your Permission to Stop Doing Sh*t
Here's Your Permission to Stop Doing Sh*t
Mental Load Detox: 3 simple exits from your personal over-functioning hell.
There’s a special kind of burnout that comes from managing everything — even the stuff no one notices until you don’t do it. This week? I bought four birthday gifts. For four different people. Not including my kid.
The mental to-do list never ends — and spoiler: no one’s giving you a medal for perfectly packed backpacks or themed bedtime routines. (DANGIT) This week’s issue is about clearing that load just enough to feel human again.
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🧘♀️ Kill the 7-Step Bedtime Routine (Yep. We know.)
👉 If bedtime looks like a spa brochure — yoga, lavender spray, three books, gratitude jar, affirmation cards — you’ve probably over-optimized. Speaking from experience, it’s time to scale back.
🚫 Skip the elaborate routines that mostly stress you out
✅ Pick one (ok, fine 2, for us Type A's) calming cue: a sound machine, a 2-minute song, or “high five, lights out”
💡 Why it works: Kids don’t need variety — they need predictability. And you need your night back.
Reminder: It’s not our job to create a wind-down experience worthy of a wellness retreat. We mostly just need them horizontal, and they’ll still feel loved with a shorter routine.
🎒 Let Them Pack the Backpack (Even If It’s Wrong)
👉 You don’t need to be the nightly school logistics manager. Starting around age 4.5–5, this one’s ready to delegate.
🔹 Let your kid pack their bag — folder, lunchbox, water bottle
🔹 They’ll forget something? Great. That’s how they learn (Yea, we hate and love this too.)
🔹 Missed library day = not your emergency
You’re not being lazy — you’re building life skills and reclaiming five minutes of mental space. Natural consequences > parent micromanagement.
Did you know? 🧃 JuiceBox is built by a tiny team of working parents just like you. We curate and write this stuff so you don’t have to but we’d LOVE for you to get in on the action.
💬 Got a time-saving tip or a chaos-fighting hack of your own? Hit reply and share it—we all need a village, and we’d love to hear from you.
👯♀️ Know a fellow parent who needs this? Forward away or hit this button:
💗 Stop RSVPing Out of Guilt
👉 Your weekends are not a community service. If the party sounds like logistical chaos, say no. (Cue our inner existential crisis.)
🔹 Say this: “We’re keeping weekends low-key right now — hope it’s a great party!”
🔹 Skip the emotional calculus. No one’s tracking attendance but you, promise.
🔹 Save the energy for the parties you actually want to show up for
One fewer gift, two fewer hours in traffic, zero regrets. We’ll say it again, for our benefit: no ra-grets.
✨ From The Squeeze: The Words We Use to Protect Our Bandwidth
You’ve probably said it: “I can’t, I have my kid.”
But what you meant wasn’t just “I have pickup.”
It was: I’m at capacity. I’m choosing my energy. I’m carrying 97 things already - this would make it 98.
This week’s Squeeze is a reflection on what working parents really mean when we say no, and why we shouldn’t feel the need to justify it.
👉 Read it on LinkedIn: What We Actually Mean When We Say “I Can’t, I Have My Kid”
If it hits home, share it with someone who gets it.
K that’s all. You’re the best and we love you.
-CK “No Ragrets” Fuller (Editor) & the JB Crew 🫡