Because the perfect mother does not exist and you only have two arms, learn to delegate to take time for yourself. Here, we are not encouraging you to (re)start sport or go on yet another diet, but to enjoy a little more by taking care of yourself!
The start of the year is always synonymous with “good resolutions”. Do more sport, stop smoking, start a diet to lose a few pounds… While all these intentions are laudable, they are not always followed through and imply that we were doing “badly” before. What if we chose more positive resolutions, which make us want to change our daily lives and boost our morale? Sometimes you just need to dare, to assert yourself and above all to let go of your guilt. Are you a mother and do you feel like you’re managing everything at home, like you don’t have a minute to yourself? Delegate, go out for a restaurant with friends, plan a massage… In short, organize time for yourself! Here are the good resolutions for 2024!
1 – Go out with friends
Why not meet your friends for a nice dinner? Ask the dad to watch the kids for an evening. He may well grant it to you once in a while. Arrange together to take turns having an evening, once a month or more.
2 – Let go of strict rules
If your little one’s room isn’t perfectly tidy, he hasn’t finished his plate, he’s watching a cartoon or he’s going to bed a little later than usual, put things into perspective! This year, we are learning to de-stress to feel more peaceful.
3 – You are a perfect mother, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise
Does your mother, your mother-in-law or a friend blame you at home and about the education of your children? Don’t let anyone judge you or devalue you. There’s no evidence that when they just had a baby, they handled the situation any better than you did. Because ultimately, what is being a good mother, if not protecting them, instilling good values in them and giving them all the love they need? And you have that in spades! So, even if your imperfections don’t give a good image of you, what matters is the one you send to your children.
4 – Impose shared tasks
Stop thinking that you are a “Super Woman”: you only have two hands and very often mothers work as much, if not more, than fathers. Except that for you, the second day of work begins in the evening. As for those who raise their little ones at home, remember that a recent American study estimated the average working time of a housewife at 98 hours per week! It is therefore time (if it is not already done) to share household chores fairly with the family and take turns looking after the children.
5 – Hang out in bed a little on the weekend
When he was an infant, you would come running several times a night at the slightest noise. Today your baby has grown up. So, on the weekend, unless he’s crying his eyes out, let him wake up gently. And you too can benefit from this extra quarter of an hour or half hour. Besides, if he chirps a little and doesn’t see you disembark immediately, perhaps he will manage to go back to sleep…
6 – Book treatments and beauty appointments
When you become a mother, you spend your time taking care of your baby, which is completely normal. What’s less so is that we no longer have time to take care of ourselves. You used to get a manicure, but your nails have been chipped for weeks, you take the shower very quickly, your hair no longer looks like much… In short, becoming a mother should not be synonymous with leaving go only because we lack time. What if we booked a good massage to relax? In 2024, make your appointments and entrust baby to his dad: it’s finally time to be pampered!