If you’re a mom, and likely even if you’re not, you know how seriously overwhelming it is. I often wonder, is it a fault in myself that I can’t handle this 24/7 by myself without having a nervous/mental/emotional breakdown? And is it selfish and inconsiderate when I ask Cody to take care of Seb in the evening when he’s had a full day at work? This is the first of a short series about mama-time, which is a topic I struggle with in gigantic proportions. Let’s call this an exercise, through which I hope to figure out how to actually have and maximize some down-time.
Although I’m not sure if I’ll ever stop asking myself these questions, I’ve had a lot of great advice given to me by moms who have been there, too. The most consistent answer I get to the question, “How do I survive?” is, make sure you get up at least 30 minutes before your kids each morning. Are you laughing right now? If you are, that probably means you have an infant. When sleep is scarce, and your baby gets up at who-knows-when, making it impossible to plan, perhaps try this: get up early enough for husband to help. Baby may be awake, but if your husband is, too, give him the little one and sneak into a quiet corner of the house and do what you need to do to be ready for the day.
“But,” you say, “why morning?” Mornings are ideal because it allows you to start your day by taking care of your most basic needs, like eating breakfast, washing your face, brushing your teeth, and of course, drinking that huge cup of coffee before it gets cold. I have a friend who is a mom of three, and she gets up to run on her treadmill every morning. It doesn’t really matter what you do with that time, just make sure that you are taking care of yourself. Later in the day when your little ones are tugging on your shirt, crying endlessly, or just needing some mommy-time, you’ll be happy to give it and be just the mommy they need.
I can only imagine what a struggle that would be, and I know I'll wrestle with those same questions- if our husbands work all day, how is it fair to them to hand them an upset child when they walk in the door? But I suspect that as wonderful husbands and fathers- they'll probably be grateful most days to be able to come home to their little ones.
ReplyDeleteOne blog I love to follow is http://queenmommie.blogspot.com/
She's a young mommy of 5 or 6 now? Hard to keep track. She has some excellent posts about managing time, temperments, etc. Coffee is also a common theme :)
thanks for the link, hannah! i'll definitely check that out! and yes, a supportive husband is like superman in my book. i am constantly amazed at how much cody can give without tiring, or at least complaining about it. i'm sure jason will be the same! :)
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