It can be hard, really, really hard to admit you need a parenting time out. It’s hard to look at ourselves and be honest about where we are at. Ever since getting pregnant with my second baby I have found myself struggling to complete a lot of the normal everyday tasks of motherhood. My patience is running low and exhaustion is at an all-time high. Some days my toddler is this incredible mini human who amazes me with her kindness and sweet spirit. Other days she’s just a small dictator, demanding and sucking the energy from my body which I can’t replace with caffeine the way I used to.
Being a work-at-home mom, all of my down time is usually set aside to work without distraction from my wild and wonderful two-year old. This is the best way I can maximize both the time I spend with my daughter and my work hours, but it leaves very little time for myself, never mind my husband. Now, I’m not saying I need a 5 day cruise to the Caribbean, although I wouldn’t turn it down if you were offering, but I realize I can only succeed as a parent if I can function has a human being. Feeling burnt out and exhausted all the time is definitely not helping me create lifelong memories in the short and fleeting days I have with my baby girl. I don’t want to look back on these early days of parenting and just remember the hard times, I want to remember and cherish all the special moments we got to spend together. I remember how long I hoped and prayed I could be a stay-at-home mommy to my babies and how lucky I am that we’ve made it happen.
The burn out is real, but recognizing it key. Tell your husband or partner that you need a break. That you need time away from your kids to re-group and to take care of yourself for a change. If you can feel the pressure getting on you, call up a trusted friend and see if they can watch the kids for a couple of hours, or simply push away the to-do list during nap time and take some time for yourself. Give yourself a time out and think about what is overwhelming you and what you can do to make life a bit smoother and maybe even a tiny bit easier.
Sometimes parents needs to take a time out too.