I was reading a meme a while back about how husbands disappear into the bathroom for an hour, and how we as moms wish we could do that.
And then I laughed and laughed, because sometimes, I do.
Okay, I don’t always hide in the bathroom though, sometimes it’s the pantry, the laundry room, my bedroom, the garage…
But I do occasionally find myself… hiding.
Okay, level with me here. My husband works an off-the-wall schedule at work, which ends up with me doing the entire day from wake to sleep on my own, several days a week. It’s a nice schedule in the long run, but those days leave me dog-tired and sometimes I just need a few minutes.
Maybe I’m a mean mom, but I don’t let my kids in the bathroom with me. And if I’m changing? They aren’t generally in my room. So sometimes, I’ll take a few extra minutes to breathe, lay on my bed, close my eyes, pray, gather my thoughts, or just get ahold of myself so that I don’t go completely bonkers.
Now, it’s not like I’m taking an hour and leaving my young, rambunctious boys to their own devices. I’m talking ten, maybe fifteen minutes when I’m actively listening to them, and if I hear any sort of issue, out I go.
But that breathing time, that moment to myself? It makes every difference in my parenting.
I walk out of that room, refreshed and recovered, and ready to love on my kids. I walk down the hall, able to think straight and think about what we ought to do next. I am ready to play, sing, dance, or referee, whatever the current moment requires of me as a mom.
And in all honesty, I don’t feel the least bit guilty about it.
Much the same way that I don’t feel guilty about leaving my children with someone for a few hours so that my husband and I can reconnect, I don’t feel guilty about taking a short moment to myself so that I can revisit my own mind and needs in order to be a more capable, loving, and teaching momma.
So maybe in the middle of dinner, if your kiddos are around you fighting or whining or just being normal, loud, energetic kiddos, maybe you put that pan on simmer and sneak away to the pantry. If your kids ask where you’re going, just tell them that Mommy needs a minute. They might fuss, they might whine, but I promise, as long as everything is safe, they will be just fine.
Close the door, close your eyes, and breathe.
You’ve got this, momma. It’s hard. It’s crazy hard. But you are loving on those babies and every moment you do that, you’re doing exactly what you’re supposed to. I recently saw a friend’s post on Facebook with a mug that said that everything done in love is done well. Remember that.
So take those moments. Hide for a few minutes. Bring some chocolate with you and breathe. Pray. Rest your heart for just a second, so you can reemerge ready to love on those sweet ones.
