Tell Me You’re Not Guilty!

It’s normal to want some time for ourselves!  I have two children of my own and when my first was born, I felt I needed to spend EVERY.SINGLE.MOMENT with him.  I would feel guilty if I took a nap because I was missing time with him. “Sleep when your baby sleeps”…how do you even do that?  I didn’t understand when people said that to me.  Who was going to do the laundry or cook dinner?  The time when my baby napped was the time I prepped meals and cleaned up.  Yay for me!

When I had the opportunity to take a nap or run out to the grocery store, I made sure that if my baby woke up from his nap while I was out, he would have access to everything he needed.  I would be gone for 15 minutes, but I would call home to ensure everything was OK.  My husband would get so frustrated with me that I just could not relax when I would leave the home.

I was at a point that whenever I needed to pump or sleep, I would feel guilty because I was missing time from my baby while someone else was enjoying his company.  I would cry sometimes!  I think I cried about everything with my first.  It was very clear that the lack of sleep really caught up to me!  If someone gave me advice, I would take it as if everything I was doing was wrong.  I didn’t take advice or criticism very well.  My moods were all over the place!

It wasn’t until I had my second that I felt much more laid back as a mom.  I brought her up to be more independent.  I wasn’t by her side EVERY.SINGLE.MOMENT and truthfully, it made me a better mom!  I made time for myself.  My husband and I now fight about who gets to go and pick up milk and bread from the grocery store as we both feel we NEED to get out of the house from time to time!

I finally took the advice of other’s to nap when my children napped.  I was definitely a happier wife to my husband and a happier mom to my children. I owe it all to having those couple of naps throughout the week and not stressing over every little thing.  I knew if I left the house for 10 minutes to grab a coffee, my daughter wasn’t going to starve.

When I go out to grab groceries, do I drive back home at full speed to ensure I haven’t been too long?  No!  In fact, I catch up to social media or listen to the last couple of minutes of Drake’s latest hit on the radio before I enter my home.  The few minutes away from the children is healthy!  You are not abandoning your children by leaving for 15 short minutes.  Don’t feel guilty when you are doing something for yourself especially when it’s positively effecting your family.