This is me not managing my time. Does anyone else have this
problem? I see a pile of things in front of me, I know full well they need to
be done, and soon. But, then I just stare at them, then nerves set in, and then
I feel the time crunch, and I FREAK OUT!
School, kids, housework, life in general. Maybe, I should give up
my blog, which let's be honest isn't even really a thing. But, even if it's not
really "a thing", it's "MY thing". Being the Mom of two
young boys, with a busy husband means not much in life is actually “my
thing". I have many things I do, but they're not usually "my
things". Don't get me wrong I enjoy them, but I think for sanity as
mothers we need to find a thing that is just "our thing", and hold on
tight and don't let go. Sometimes "my thing" is the only thing
keeping me from crossing over to the dark side (I've been there, they do have
cookies, but they're not that good).
I guess what I'm saying is that I know I as a Mom feel judged constantly, it's our society. I think until we as a community of Moms take a
step back and stop being so over critical it's always going to feel like we're
being judged by our peers. But, even when you're feeling judged, even if
someone out right says maybe you shouldn't do "your thing" anymore, this is when we need to stick up for “our thing” and ourselves. Just say NO, Say this
is mine! This is the one thing in the world I don't share with anyone, the one
thing I get to call my own, the one thing my kids can't poop on, the dog can't
pee on, my husband can't accidentally break. This thing that is my own helps me
hold on, be it ever so gingerly to the small thread of sanity I have left.
This is mine, and it's staying.
If your thing is gym time, don't let someone guilt you out of
it. Your kids are going to be just as messy, happy, or sad, as they were when
you get back from the gym in an hour. If it's crafting, go ahead and cut and
glue all that paper together. Go ahead ignore the world for an hour, or two, or
three. Who cares if it ends up in the recycle bin when you're done? If you like to run off and
take photos alone, do it. Want to lock yourself up in the closet and apply a full
face of makeup, and do your hair and then spend the rest of the day in your
pajamas, DO IT! If you must vegetate in front of your television for 3 hours
and catch up on Grey's Anatomy, YOU DO IT (but keep your mouth shut because I'm
not caught up)!
It's taken nearly six years to learn in order to be the best Mom
I can be, I need to keep something that is just for me. It doesn't make me a
bad mother or wife; it makes me a better one. The one thing that is "my
thing", allows me the sanity to suffer through a 20 minute argument over
who the blue Lego belongs to, even though there are clearly 30 other identical
blue Legos sitting on the table in plain site. It grants me the ability to not
cry my eyes out when I'm at the end of the rope and my husband texts to say
they're going into overtime.
Having something for just me, that is just mine, that is not the
clothing I wear, gives me the extra oomph I need to make it through this battle
called Parenthood. I'm forever grateful for my children, and I know that one
day I will miss these days with a fervent passion, and I will annoy younger
mothers by telling them how quickly time flies. But until I miss these days,
I'm keeping something just to me...and I'm not going to let anyone make me feel
guilty about it. And you shouldn't either.