Motherhood can be challenging! Learn how to be a great mother without losing yourself in the process!
It’s a situation that’s all too common these days.
Women–who were once strong, independent and fun–become mothers and lose a large part of themselves in the process. Baby comes along, and nothing else matters as much anymore–not work, not friends, not your appearance, sometimes not even your relationship with your spouse. You’re a mother now. It’s your entire life. And it’s overwhelming.
To be clear: No one is arguing that motherhood isn’t incredibly important and fulfilling or that it isn’t the most important job in the world. I think it is. The problem happens, however, when women get so wrapped up in this one facet of their lives that they suddenly forget everything else.
How to Be a Good Mother To Your Children
Do you know what I’m talking about? Have you seen it in your own life? Perhaps you once hung out with friends on a regular basis, but now you can’t remember the last time you had a girls’ night out. Perhaps you once took pride in your appearance and loved dressing in cute clothes, but now you live in ratty sweats out of sheer laziness. Perhaps your once-sizzling love life has pretty much faded away now that you’re too tired to care.
Whether you’re still in the trenches with a newborn baby at home or your children are half-grown and you’ve simply gotten in bad habits, the good news is: If you want to reclaim part of yourself AND still be an amazing mother–you can! Here’s a few tips on how.
How to Be a Great Mother Without Losing Yourself in the Process
Realize that You are Worth It
As mothers it is all too easy to fall into the trap of always putting everyone else first. While that is usually great, you can’t ALWAYS put yourself last. You have to take care of yourself at least a little bit so you will have the energy to take care of others. If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for those you love. They deserve to see you be happy, and whether you know it or not, the way you treat yourself DOES have a huge impact on them as well.
Make Plans with an Old Friend
If you keep telling yourself “someday I will…,” it will never happen. Call up an old friend you haven’t seen in a while and make plans. This will force you to get out of the house and do something fun. Even if all you do is get together to take all of the kids for ice cream, it will still be good to get out of the house.
Carve Out Time for Your Spouse
If you’ve gotten in the bad habit of always leaving your spouse for last, make it a priority to change that. Set aside one night (one day if you need to!) to completely clear your calendar and focus on each other. Rest up and prepare ahead of time and then go have fun! You won’t regret it!
Buy Something New
If you have a shopping problem, I wouldn’t recommend this, but if you’ve been in a serious slump for a while now, something new can really brighten your spirits. Find a shirt that looks AMAZING on you or even purchase a few flowers for the kitchen. A little pop of color can really do you some good!
Take Up a New Hobby
What is something you used to love or something you’ve always wanted to do? Why not start today? Whether it is scrapbooking, singing, volunteering, baking or running–find something you enjoy that is truly just for you and then go do it!
There are certain times of life when you’ll probably come last for a while (particularly the infant stage)–and that’s okay! But if you are always so busy putting others first that you forget to ever do anything for yourself, that can quickly become a problem. Maybe today is the day you take a good, honest look at your life.
Are you living the life you’ve always dreamed, or is it time to make a change?
Leave a Reply