Gifts a Mom Must Give Herself Everyday
Having a child is a gift of life. Becoming a mother is an amazing experience that many women look forward to.
However, after nights of interrupted sleep, being the chauffeur of the little ones, clearing up food debris and finding out you’ve lost the original colour of the carpet after years of mud and other substances tracked through the house, a mother can sometimes forget how fruitful parenting is.
It can not only be physically tiring but emotionally wearing as well, so it is very important that as a mom, you get some “me time” planned into each and every day. This does not have to cost very much and neither does it have to cost a lot in terms of time and effort. We teach our children to respect others and treat them the same way as we would like to be treated ourselves. But as moms, we don’t think about applying that same maxim when it comes to our own self-care and fulfilment.
The gift of self-care
As a mom, being first in the queue for a little self-care and attention just does not happen. We are taught that as women, we can have everything; the career and the family. In practice, however, we are not geared up to ensuring our self-care is a priority. Even when we are feeling ill, we still try to keep the household going and care for our partners and children. Wellbeing should be a gift of entitlement that we give ourselves on a daily basis.
It means a putting in a little bit of thought and planning around what self-care means to us and how we can incorporate this into our daily lives. It also means speaking to our spouse or partner and telling them what is important right now for our own wellbeing. To some moms, this can be as simple as a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep, while to others, it could be the opportunity to take a 10-15 minute walk on their own. It is going to depend on what responsibilities you have as a mom, as the demands of children vary; from babies and toddlers to teenagers, for example.
Sometimes, a 5-minute pick-me-up is all that is needed. This is where speaking to others involved in the child care or running of the house is key. It may mean arranging for them to step in and provide some short term support, at set times, perhaps. Having a cup of coffee in the sunshine while you give yourself a quick manicure might be 5 of the best minutes of the day, in terms of “me time”.
Whatever you need to keep your body and soul going, discuss and negotiate the time and space with your partner.
The gift of forgiving
No one is perfect (not even Angelina Jolie!), when it comes to the mommy stakes. Do not try to live up to anyone else’s image of the perfect mom because this is not going to happen. Once a baby is delivered, it does not come free with a copy of the Mommies Rule Book. There will be times when you will shout at your kids, snap at your partner, fail to turn up at school with your child’s science project along with many more faux pas in the future.
Moms do not get things right all the time and that is OK, really! The most important thing that you will get spot on is the fact that you love your kids and you give great hugs. Spoiler alert – you will be cranky, tired, snappy, not say the right things from time to time but that is part of the process of learning to be a mother. Do not beat yourself up on a daily basis but accept it if something did not work well today. All you have to do is simply move on and try to learn from that tomorrow. Don’t lie awake worrying about what you should have said because children forget and forgive; something you should be able to do for yourself as well.
The gift of self-fulfilment
For many years, the dream of travelling the world was just that – a dream. When it got to being able to afford some time off, there was a husband and a baby, so they came along too. It is very easy to forget that before becoming moms, we had (and still have) ambitions to achieve and challenges to overcome. Being a parent does not mean that you have to stop challenging yourself or to forget your dreams and passions.
Your children can still enjoy a close relationship and be part of those plans, so if you wanted to set up your own business or take part in a triathlon, make sure you take time each day to focus on how you can achieve your goals. It could be a simple as spending some time doing some research online or jogging round the park pushing the baby buggy. It might be that you want to go back to school and take further qualifications or you plan to renovate and rent out a holiday property. Whatever it is, don’t let motherhood make you lose sight of your dreams.
Most of all, don’t feel guilty about allowing yourself these daily gifts, it will enable you to grow as a person and when you are fulfilled, you become better prepared to give your children the things they need most in life to succeed.
Author’s Bio
Launched in 2015, Simply Life strives to continuously provide quality products and to positively impact the lives of families everywhere. With 14 years’ experience in the industry, Simply Life is constantly coming up with new collections to suit all age groups, from babies and toddlers to kids and to adults. With their own personal experience and vision with parenthood, they plan to help children and parents alike strike a balance to create a healthy and happy atmosphere at home.