1… 2… 3… 4… 5…
All parents know this countdown.Ā Your child is acting crazy or doing something absurd. They aren’t listening to you telling them to stop. You’re fed up. The countdown begins. Now if your child is smart, they’ve never reached the 5 and tested you. Because mini is a little on the hard-headed side, when I get to 4 I remind her that testing me is not the thing to do.
I digress…
After talking to a couple of my mom friends, I found out that it’s not just me who really uses the countdown for themselves. In an ideal world, all parents/moms would have the patience of Mother (is she a saint yet?) Theresa and we would be able to handle our children with gentle parenting techniques that don’t result in less than favorable outcomes. But in this world that we live in, parents are people too. Because I’m not a man or dad, I can’t speak to what they feel. But as a mom? I’m confident that I need a time out sometimes.
Sleep Deprivation
As a mother of two, I have never been so tired. Like as I’m writing this, I’ve been battling with borderline debilitating sleepiness that not even my much requested IV of coffee could help. Between sleep regression from abc, a budding business, being a wife, mommying mini, trying to better myself, etc., mommy is exhausted. But I know it’s not just me. I’m one of many sleep deprived zombie-moms that are fighting off the natural irritation that comes with wishing to be face down in a pile of clouds instead of dealing with the shenanigans that one the miniature versions of myself are engaging in. If you’re readying your veins for an IV of caffeine, you already need a timeout.
Too Many Hats, Too Little Time
Chef. Mom. Wife. Friend. Maid. Lover. Business Owner. Employee. Lover of Life. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom. How many times do they say it a day right? My list of things to do starts generating before my brain even wakes up. It’s like, my to do list already wants to get a head start on the things that I WON’T be getting accomplished that day courtesy of the sleep deprivation. Rocking all of these hats within the 24 hours that we’re given makes it so difficult to not rush through the day. When you’re trying to build an empire, raise a toddler, a 5-year-old, make it through your second year of marriage happily while not losing yourself, there’s little to no time for meltdowns, not listening, and boundary testing but naturally that’s all we get. Yeah, mommy needs a bit of a timeout.
Mommy Needs A Timeout
Sleep deprivation. Overwhelming life. Children being children. Yes, mommy needs a timeout.
1…… deep breath in
2…… I’m in Jamaica breathing in the warms
3…… Smiles and giggles… My girls…
4…… Slowly returning to my situation
5…… I can handle all that I’ve been given
This is how I take my timeout in the midst of frustration so I don’t end up misplacing my frustrations on my babies who are just being children.
In the middle of your overwhelming frustrations, how do you take your timeout to get yourself together?
