Livin' It Up... Mommy Guilt

Mommy guilt is a real thing. So much of what I do is dedicated to Little Man and prevents me from doing what I want to do. Some of these things seem selfish, like taking a nap or sitting on the patio reading a book... in silence. But as a mom, I have this little voice in my head that tells me, "you're a parent, you signed up for this and he comes first."

It's hard to ignore the voice, but I've learned that sometimes being selfish actually benefits more than just me. When I get a moment to myself it allows me to decompress and let go of some of the stress putting me in a better mood and be more tolerable. As Little Man has gotten older it makes it easier for him to understand when mommy needs a timeout and he's more self sufficient allowing for more of these me moments.

Here are some ways I find myself being selfish:

• A girls' night once a month.
• Nap on the couch while he quietly does an art project or reads. 
• Little Man has a dedicated bedtime. Once he's down for bed I catch up on shows I've recorded.
• Signed up for a gym membership with childcare.
• Whenever Little Man is not in the car, the windows are down and music blaring. 
• If Little Man hasn't been on his best behavior I will wait for him to fall asleep to eat the ice cream we were looking forward to after dinner.
• Splurge on Starbucks
• Scrap dinner plans on occasion and resort to take out.
• Put off my to do list when I'm really not feeling it. 
• I don't volunteer at his school.... I'm really only tolerable for my kid and those of my friends. 
• Enjoy going to work and getting off to race over to his daycare to hear him squeal, "Mommy!"
• Asking his dad to take him to the barber shop.
• I'm environmentally unfriendly for convenience factors.

While I'm writing this I actually feel guilty for seeing how expansion the list above feels. But here's the thing... I know I am a great mom and would give up any of these guilty pleasures if they actually were not in his best interest.

It's funny to think, I'm sitting on the couch typing this post while he's sitting next to me playing on his iPad. We're both doing something we enjoy and having our own "me" time. So, it's all about balance. Making time for me, him, and us.

Speaking of us... he wants to go grab McDonald's for lunch (ick! I don't like McDonald's) and selfishly I am going to waste the extra gas and money to head down the street to pick myself up a burger from my favorite place instead.