Three Things All Mommies Need

One way you can recharge!

The other day I wrote to get out some disturbing thoughts. As soon as I wrote them down I felt better - I had released those thoughts and their hold on me was completely gone. It was refreshing, cathartic, and relieving. I had no idea I'd been carrying all that ick around with me until I committed it to paper.

I mention this because I've noticed a few things that women after they become mothers:

1. Me Time - This is time when a woman can be just a woman by herself, separate from baby, spouse, and anything or anyone else. Personally, I like taking long baths for this purpose.
2. Dress-up - Okay this sounds a little girlish when you first read that, but it's important to dress-up like you're going out every now and again. I mean makeup, nice shoes, nice clothes, and jewelry. It makes you feel like an adult, even if you're just going to get groceries. I tend to do this even when I'm staying at home because I don't want to get slovenly.
3. Adult Time - This could mean time with friends or just your partner. Either way, it generally involves conversations that use three syllable words, with topics other than poop or spit-up.

While mommy specific classes don't necessarily require dress-up, they can fulfill the other two pieces of the mommy need triangle. I'm pretty sure teaching my classes will do that for my students, and even a little bit for me, which is why I'm so excited. I got a taste of adulthood this past Saturday at Christian's work holiday party and it reinvigorated me. I dressed up, I spent time alone doing my hair, and I got a significant dose of adult time. The result? I was flying high all day Sunday (you can ask the church band what I was like during practice!). I had no idea I was missing this kind of thing so much or that it was so important to my overall mood.

The moral of this story is whether or not mothers take a class, we all need to make time for ourselves in these three ways. It is how we can take care of ourselves, and when we take care of ourselves, we are better able to take care of our babies making us much better mothers.

How do you take care of your needs after becoming a mother? Leave a comment below!