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By Daniella Gray
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A former NFL player has told Newsweek how his eyes were opened about the challenges facing moms, after solo parenting for the first time.
Cedric Thompson, 31, spent 10 days managing the household and caring for his three girls (7, 5 and 2) while his wife was visiting family in the Philippines.
The proud father shared a reel on Instagram in which he admitted he was "not prepared" for the mental load mothers deal with on a daily basis.
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"I had no idea it felt like this to think about things that need to be done that haven't been done or things that I need to plan to do is so draining because I don't even have the energy to take care of myself at all," the dad said in his reel while cradling one of his daughters.
Minnesota-based Thompson was first drafted by the Miami Dolphins as a safety in 2015 and then moved onto the New England Patriots a year later. He concluded his NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings before being waived.
Thompson also featured in the 2014 documentary "Being P.J. Fleck," which aired on the Big Ten Network. The documentary followed the then-Western Michigan University football coach and his former players at the University of Minnesota, including Thompson.
The 31-year-old shared his experiences growing up in challenging circumstances, including poverty and family struggles, and how football became a path to a better future.
In the time leading up to his wife's trip, Thompson told Newsweek that he felt excited to spend some time alone with the children. "I wanted to see how I'd handle it, and I love putting myself in challenging positions to grow and learn from them," he added.
Thompson, who goes by @ced on Instagram, explained that the experience gave him a deeper understanding of his wife's perspective and how "draining" the mental load can be. While he's always tried to empathize with his wife, he told Newsweek that he never truly understood how "tough" it could get.
"This experience gave me front-row seats, and now I genuinely see her perspective. It's also reminded me of how vital it is to find harmony in our lives—the balance between strength and vulnerability, and between carrying the load and sharing it," he said.
Thompson's reel clocked up over 26 million views and over 17,000 comments from other social media users. Many viewers thanked Thompson for his acknowledgment of the mental load and bringing the topic to mainstream media.
"Thank you for sharing this. The realization and verbalization of it makes the load lighter. Sometimes mental heaviness is worse than the physical," wrote one. "Ladies, save this post so you can remember what a good guy looks and sounds like. This guy is a winner," said another.
But among the thanks and praise, others berated Thompson for calling himself a single dad. "You're not a single dad/parent though … you're just in charge/on your own while your partner is out of town," wrote a third user.
Many others agreed that Thompson's post was a positive step forward to fathers being more appreciative of what their partners do. "This is a huge start. And as time goes on you will find a rhythm that puts some of that load on both of you. And your kids will also thank you for it," another commented.
While Thompson doesn't believe his parenting style will drastically change, he told Newsweek his newfound awareness will impact his marriage.
"Now that I understand what my wife is feeling, I'll be more aware of how I can step up for her when the load is heavy. It'll also challenge me to figure out what things we can delegate in our home to make a better system," he said.
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