Fetus Friday ~ It's Momma Time!

::::Duh-nuh-nunuh-nun-nuh-nun-nuh Can't touch this!:::: Ok. So I just dated myself.

Mommy-time: Something that every mommy desperately needs and few mommies are willing to take.

TAKE IT.

You are not Super Mom and let me tell you right now, she's is a myth. You will not do everything perfect every moment of your child's life. You will not be able to juggle a dozen things without dropping a few occasionally (and yes, sometimes it might even be the baby!). You do not have to (and likely won't) be fulfilled entirely by motherhood.

Because, you wanna know what success is for a mother? Success is working yourself out of a job by the time your child reaches adulthood. There is life after kids and if you don't hold on to some of who you are now, you'll be lost when your kid(s) go to school or leave home.

You need to still be YOU. There is only one Being in this universe you should lose yourself completely to, and your baby is not Him.

There isn't a mother out there who doesn't need to take some time to rest and rejuvenate and be herself. And you know what? The best moms I've ever known have all made time to do things that are just for them. They kept some hobbies, they made time for themselves, they showed their children that they were people who had needs and dreams and identities apart from motherhood.

And their children? Secure. Happy. Respectful. INVOLVED human beings who love their mothers for who they are, not for what they do. And they not only respect their moms, they respect themselves.

If you don't respect yourself, your child(ren) will NEVER respect you. I learned that lesson the hard way and three years later, I'm still working on it. Because you can't be constantly filling others up if you don't take the time to be refilled yourself. You can't lift others up if you've let yourself become worn down.

Babies are needy. God made them that way for their survival. If you're breastfeeding, they need you. God designed that too. And logistically, that neediness can make it hard to get away. But please, make the time.

At first, you may only get an hour at a time. Believe me, an hour of mommy-time will feel like heaven after a day of diapers, nursing, rocking and walking. When someone offers you a few moments alone (assuming they're trustworthy), TAKE IT. Enjoy it. And if that mommy-guilt creeps in, ignore it.

You'll be a better woman and a better mom for it.