Can Mom Have A Break?

As a mom, sometimes its hard to take care of a growing family AND take care of yourself.  The deeper I plunge into the wonderful depths of motherhood, I realized that raising a family is a full-time job, even if you are already employed outside the home.  There is scheduling, feeding, playtime, naptime, cooking, cleaning, laundry, just to name a few things that a mother must juggle.  Then there is your partner.  Husbands can be an invaluable help but can also require much training.  Let’s face it, somehow, through this season of life, we seem to push ourselves further and further to the back burner, in terms of priority.

It was on one of these mornings that about 9:30am when I was trying my best to feed one of my kids “second breakfast” that I was getting so upset.  I mean, really having a breakdown.  What I was mad about, I couldn’t tell you because I really didn’t know, other than, I was hungry, I hadn’t showered, my hair was a mess, I needed deodorant and about 5 more hours of sleep. 

I was trying to feed our son blueberries, (which I did) and then tried to throw some in my mouth when three fell out of my mouth and into my bra.  To make matters worse my bra got stained because the blueberries got squished by me trying to pull them out.  I got so mad!  Downright angry! How could I do something so stupid. I have never done that before.  That’s when my darling husband looked at me, and said “babe, maybe you need to just take care of yourself”.  I stormed out the room, with our oldest son Looking at me with eyes that said, “I can relate to your tantrum, I have those daily”.

I took a shower and cried.  Yeah, total meltdown.  That’s when it hit me though.  As mothers, we give and give and give.  Most of us want to serve our families, and I think this such a noble thing.  It is such an honor, a God given honor to help our families grow and progress.  However, how can we care for our family when we are tired, hungry, and otherwise need a break?  You can’t.  I know I can’t.  So I embarked on a journey of sorts; how to care for myself first, and then my family.

If you think about, we see examples of this everywhere.  If you go on trip via airplane, the Flight Attendant says what about the oxygen mask? “Put the oxygen mask on yourself first, then help others.   I decided to change my schedule around.  Instead of waking up when the kids wake up, I get up first.  Well before the kids are up, I have had time to drink my first cup of coffee and water, pray, and eaten a little something, like bread or fruit, then I am off to do farm chores. 

I have noticed a complete difference in the behavior not only of myself, but of my kids. They are calmer, and less tense.  I have also started to take my showers at night, and not trying to rush around in the morning to do that.  When the kids are down for naps that’s when I do my hair and make-up.  Doing things this way allows me to serve my family and take care of myself.  I have noticed a difference, a huge difference.  It’s the small things like doing your hair and make-up that make you feel good about yourself, and help you to to be a better mother, wife and all the other titles we wear in our lives.

This happened over two years ago.  In that time, I have learned that as  your children grow, so do you.  You learn to grow with them.  I cant say that it is easy to be parent, as I only have 4 years of experience, but I have experienced so far is to take care of yourself.  That right.  Take time to be with them.  Sit down rest.  Play with them, teach them, and prioritize your sanity.  Let face it, if mom loses it, everyone loses it.

 If you’re a busy mom like me, what are some of your tips and tricks?

They grow so quickly.

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