Being a mom is an amazing, but it takes nearly every ounce of our being–emotionally, physically, and mentally. And, we often find ourselves taking care of everyone else except ourselves. It is a tremendous blessing that is both exhausting and rewarding. Motherhood is a job where the to-do list is endless…BUT moms need breaks too. With a two year-old at home, two kids in elementary school, and one in middle school, I sometimes feel like I get to the end of the day and have nothing to show for it. I know my efforts as a mother are never in vain, but it can feel monotonous at times. There are days I feel straight up loony tunes and think, “Man, I need a break!”. Can you relate, Sweet Mama?
When we go for long periods of time without any break from our motherly duties, we begin to show certain signs of wear and tear. And, these signs are like flashing warning signs that we are in desperate need of a break.
Here they are in no particular order:
1. She hasn’t had a shower before 4 p.m. in months, and that’s every third day of the week.
2. She knows all the words to every Daniel Tiger song and even makes up her own versions to get her kids to perform certain tasks…and it works.
3. She brushes all the kids teeth as they are racing to get ready for school in the morning but ends up embracing her “sweater tooth” and remedies the potential bad breath with some spearmint chewing gum in case they don’t make the school drop-off line in time.
3. What she wears to bed and what she wears to shop for groceries are exactly the same outfit.
4. She has locked her keys in the house or the car at least once a week for the past few months.
5. She follows every request with an “okay, buddy?” or “please, sweetie?” even when talking to adults.
6. She has looked into how one can erase certain kids shows from Netflix because she can’t stand to hear the theme song from shows like “Pac Man” or “My Little Pony” one more time without becoming violent and destroying the TV.
7. Her idea of a break is a shopping trip, sans kiddos, at Walmart.
8. She automatically drives to the ball field after school even when the kids don’t have practice…and stays there to watch the other kids practice.
9. She often finds herself in the middle of telling a story and completely forgets what she was talking about in the first place, because she then remembers another story that she wanted to talk about but didn’t have an adult to tell it to at the time. The struggle is real…now, what was I talking about?
10. She has and wears a wide variety of hats because doing her hair is only for “special” occasions, and well, it’s just easier to throw on a hat and go…like, every day.
11. She refers to watching HGTV’s Beachfront Bargain Hunt and Caribbean Life as “going on vacation”.
12. She takes frequent cat naps…during the 30 minute wait in pick-up carline at the elementary school.
13. She only watched the Academy Awards to see who won “Best Animated Film”…because they are the only ones she had seen that year.
14. When she says she’s going to get some work done in the “office”, she walks directly to the bathroom. It’s the only place she won’t be followed…well, most of the time.
15. She often refers to herself in the third person…and “Mommy” thinks there is nothing at all wrong with that.
Moms, if you can relate to any of these, please, give yourself a break. Use that mani/pedi gift card that you’ve been carrying around all year. Go to lunch with friends. Plan a nice date night with your hubby. Husbands, if you are reading this, please help your wife get some time away and refuel her feminine spirit. It will not only do her a lot of good, but it will improve the atmosphere at home as well. Every Mom needs a break!