Self care is so important. As parents, we often put ourselves on the back burner as we put 100% into our children, our homes and our jobs. But you know what? I’m a better parent when I take time for myself.
Self care can look like a lot of things. For me, it’s squeezing in 30 minutes at the gym, even at 8 months pregnant. I may not be able to see my feet and I get the comments about me looking like I’m ready to “pop”, but that 30 minutes is well worth the strange looks I receive. I feel healthy and find that exercise is my escape from the daily grind.
Self care isn’t all about exercise and health. It’s about your well-being. Some days, that means I’m lying on the couch eating chocolate, watching the latest episode of “The Bachelorette”. Some days it means letting the laundry stack up and realizing that it’s OK to let it go for another day, or week. Some days it means McDonald’s drive-thru for my daughter because I simply don’t feel like making a mess in the kitchen.
Doing things to make our lives easier doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent.
Everyone has an opinion on what’s right and what’s wrong when it comes to parenting, but there is no one-size-fits-all. With so many people mom-shaming or judging from behind a computer screen, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t matter what others think.
You do you.
Before I became older and jaded, I spent years worrying about what others thought of me and how to be the perfect parent. I’m glad that I let perfection go and learned to embrace my flaws. Yes, I can be the parent that totes her child to dance, to the museum, to the theater. But, I can also be the parent who is happy to put her child in front of TV in order to get 30 minutes of peace and quiet.
Life is too short to run yourself ragged. Take time for yourself. Go get a massage. Go indulge with that greasy burger. Or go to the gym. You do you. You’ll be a better parent, a better friend, a better person because of it.
Now excuse me as I go indulge in my pregnancy cravings….Mmmm candy.
I personally am glad you give yourself a break now and then. I was a single mom of three and never took time for myself. I’m now 70 years old and look back and wish I had taken more time for me.
God blessed you with your growing family, take time for you and them. Buy a lot of paper plates?