Let’s be real for a moment. Motherhood is hard. It takes a lot to be this awesome mother in hopes that you’re raising little human beings to become decent people in life. Not to mention, you’re responsible for a lot of small details that keep your home afloat. So, can you blame me when I find myself taking “shortcuts” to cut myself some slack?
I feel a lot of mothers do this, but as a society, we don’t talk about it. We don’t admit when we don’t go the extra mile because we need a break or just a little quiet time. We make ourselves feel guilty for not having the energy or simply choosing to take the easier route. So to start the conversation, I’ve compiled a list of five things I’ve realized we all do from time to time but no one talks about.
Skip Baths
I’m guilty of this. There have been plenty of times where I’m just ready to put my little guy down for bed and opt to give him a bath in the morning instead. Bath time can be a process, and it becomes one more thing to do that I choose to put off until later.
Give Extra Screen Time
Normally I try to limit the amount of time I allow the little one to sit in front of a screen, but we’re being honest here. There have been days where I need him to stay occupied, be quiet, or simply to give me some extra time to take care of other things. So yes, I will allow my son to continue watching TV. I will allow extra time to play that game on the tablet to give me just a little bit more time.
Skip Pages During Storytime
My son’s favorite book is Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat. And although I love that he loves this story, reading it at least three times in one day can be a bit much. Fortunately, my son is still at an age where he doesn’t always notice that two pages stick together (see what I did there).
Hide Annoying Toys
A friend got our son this singing dinosaur that roared at the end of each song. The first week we loved seeing our son jump up and down dancing to the songs. He even got to a point where he would do the roar at the end too. He’s having fun! But when you hear the songs and that roar all day long, you just want it to stop. Let’s play a game of hide and seek with the dinosaur!
Make Sandwiches for Dinner
My son is a picky eater. Therefore, dinner can be a fight. But one thing that I know for a fact is that he will eat a PB&J anytime. Fortunately, the little guy doesn’t know the difference between a sandwich for lunch or dinner. And truthfully, I’ve gotten to a point where I don’t care what he’s eating as long as I know he has a tummy full before bedtime.
