Parents Need Breaks Even If It's Just 20 Minutes

Sometimes mums - or the primary caregiver at home - just need 20 minutes, and it's something parenting expert Gen Muir is so happy to see.

"I think this episode is hitting home for parents because it's making them feel validated," she told Today Extra's David Campbell and Sylvia Jeffreys.

While she admits we all love our kids, Muir emphasised that parenting is the kind of job where you really get no breaks.

"There is no other job that is as 24/7 and emotionally exhausting and unrelenting as parenting," she said.

"And this is really bringing to light that need, parents love their kids but need a break."

Campbell asked why it's important to show people that even 20 minutes matters to a parent and Muir had a good explanation.

"If you haven't been at home with small children, you probably think, '20 minutes, that's not a big deal? That's just the time I take to get my coffee'," she said.

"If you've been at home with small children, you know that you don't get to have a coffee, you don't get to sit down some days, you don't get to go to the toilet alone without someone crying at your feet."

Both Muir and Jeffreys, who is a mum of two young boys, laughed at that last point.

"There's no other job in the world where we wouldn't get a break, and it's about the importance of just that 20 minutes."

Campbell joked that maybe we need a union for parents, which got everyone laughing.

Jeffreys pointed out that during the episode, Bluey doesn't really understand why her mum needs the break, which Muir explained is the great teaching tool in the episode.

In the episode, Bluey's dad Bandit comes in to take over and be the lead parent while Chilli gets her time out.

Muir said it helps show your child or children some boundaries and that, as much as they want to be around you all the time, you can still love them and take that little bit of time for yourself.

It also highlights the importance of having the support from your village - or, as Campbell put it, "the healers, the male healers" - in your life stepping in to take over in that moment too.

The big lesson is also it's not necessarily a 'want' either, to have that time for yourself, but in some cases it is a need.

"Often that 20 minutes on your own can stop you from really blowing your top, if that's where you're at," Jeffreys added.

"If you're on the edge and you've had a really hard day, it can stop you from overreacting."

Muir also shared some practical tips and advice for being able to take that little break, which she explained in the video at the top of this article.