Guest Author - Jacqueline Geller

There are times when moms just don’t want to do it anymore. We want to give our two weeks’ notice and ride off into the sunset, hopefully to meet that hunky prince on the white horse (or someone who will pamper us, massage our feet and pay the bills).

Single moms have it a lot rougher for sure, but moms with partners face the same challenges and then feel guilty for feeling that way.

Well, don’t! Feel guilty, that is. We all want to run away from time to time. A mom’s life is tough, no matter how you slice it. We don’t like anything ALL the time, so why should the “mommy” role be any different?

The remedy is not easy either. A lot of moms are raising kids, working outside the home and trying to further their educations so that they can provide for their families. Where do we find the time to nurture ourselves a bit when we feel as though every spare second has to be spent with the kids?

“A bit” is the answer. Most of us do not have the time or the patience to luxuriate in a bubble bath for an hour while we worry about whether or not Suzy or Jimmy is setting the kitchen on fire.

The secret is to steal a few minutes at a time for ourselves. For example, some moms get up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to sit and drink a cup of coffee before the troops come rolling in.

If you are working outside the home and the kids are in after school care, steal an extra 15 minutes to meditate, stop for a coffee, or sit in the library reading a magazine.

The trick to doing this is figuring out how to do it without feeling guilty. Here’s how:

1. Make time on the weekend to play a game with your child.
2. When you get home, have one-on-one chat time with your child(ren.
3. Spend a few extra minutes cuddling at bedtime.
4. Make hot chocolate and enjoy that with the kids during homework time.
5. Leave the dishes until tomorrow morning.
6. Skip making beds in the morning. They get messed up at night anyway.

You will only be able to take care of others by taking care of yourself first. Remember the airplane and the oxygen mask. All the rules say that you put the oxygen mask on yourself first, THEN you put it on your family members. Try to remember that every day of your life and, while you still may want to drive off into the sunset, it might not be until the kids are grown.