He always wondered as a kid why his parents were 'too tired' — his heartbreaking revelation resonates with many

Many of us may recall a time when our parents were too tired to play with us or just had no strength to listen to our tantrums. Sometimes, when your parents returned from work, they refused to take you out for ice cream and you may have wondered why they seemed so uninterested. A young man named Brandon revealed that as a child, he, too, found himself pondering these things, per Newsweek. However, as years passed and he joined adult life, he had a heartbreaking realization that helped him understand his parents’ perspective. Posting on Reddit as u/BFH_ZEPHYR, in a since-deleted post, many are resonating with Brandon’s perspective. 

The 25-year-old man said, “There was always this disconnect where I couldn't understand why they weren't more present or energetic." In his since-deleted post, he mentioned, “Remember being a kid and thinking your parents were so lame for always being 'too tired' to do stuff? Used to roll my eyes when they'd fall asleep watching TV at 9 pm.” As he ventured into adulthood and navigated his feelings with an AI therapy tool he created, he came to realize so many things, the most important being the reason behind his parents’ constant exhaustion. “I had this moment of clarity where I started to consider what they were going through while raising me. They both worked incredibly hard," he said.

His moment of realization struck him when he compared his adult self to his parents. He wrote, "Fast forward to me last night, passed out on the couch at 8:30, Netflix asking if I was still watching. Remote still in hand. Half-eaten dinner on the coffee table.” It was then that he realized how his parents felt every day after work. Being one among three children, it was understood how much more effort his parents had to put in day in and day out. "That night when I fell asleep on the couch with Netflix still playing and my dinner half-eaten, it just clicked," Brandon recalled. He then understood that his parents had so much more on their plates.

Contrary to what he believed, they didn’t just have the duty of “driving him” to his friend’s house and “entertaining” him. "They were exhausted from working all day, managing our household, worrying about finances and carrying mental loads I couldn't see as a child," he confessed. He concluded his post with a bittersweet note, "Now, when I visit, and my dad falls asleep in his chair, I get it. When my mom says she's 'just resting her eyes,' I know. The greatest sign of adulthood isn't paying bills or having a job. It's understanding why your parents were always so damn tired."

u/pizzaguy87 said, “I now understand why my parents never wanted to go out and do anything and were almost always in a mood to snap at me. They were stressed, overworked and underpaid.” In a comment, Brandon added, “The more I reflected on it, the more I started appreciating their effort. I ended up calling them to say thank you. I haven't told them that in a while.” u/FoulAnimal shared, “Right on. It makes you appreciate what you have, what you do, what others have done or are doing for you.”