The person recovering from a hard day should not have to prove it was harder than yours.

Difficulty is not a competition with one winner. When someone comes home worn out and the first response is an account of your own worse day, they learn that saying anything costs them an argument. Both days can be hard at once, and neither has to be ranked before the person in front of you gets a bit of care.

If someone arrives depleted, give them ten minutes before you bring your own load into the room. Ask what happened, then let the answer stand without comparison. Your day still counts, and there will be room for it once they have caught their breath.