Tension mounts for tired mom who gets little help from dad

DEAR ABBY: I am a working mother of three who may be battling postpartum depression. I feel like I am parenting alone. I get the kids out of the house by myself in the morning before my husband even drags himself out of bed. I drop the kids off. I go to work.

I teach, so my day is spent dealing with other people’s kids, and then I pick my own kids up. I have no time to decompress or devote to myself.

When there are school functions, my husband makes me feel guilty that I’m not spending time with the kids. Now he’s starting to make me feel guilty because the kids like him less than they do me. How do I get across to him that if he did more and was around them more, they would like him more? — EXHAUSTED, HOT MESS MOM

DEAR MOM: It might help to discuss what’s going on with your physician, who can then help you explain to your husband that if he doesn’t step up, he could indeed be left with the sole responsibility of taking care of the children. Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.dearabby.com or P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, Calif., 90069.