Its ME Time, Mums!
Two years ago, I attended a crowded networking event in NY City for professional women. I found a woman wearing a gorgeous steampunk inspired Western watch and walked up to her to compliment her on her choice. It turned out she was a tech maven running a multinational corporation.
Instead of spending the rest of the evening talking shop the conversation soon turned to the demanding world of diaper changes, bottle and breast feedings.
I had heard enough. I was sick of hearing about mums feeling desolate, how hard motherhood is…blah blah blah…
…until I became one myself this year!
To say that I was busy all the time is an understatement. I had left “busy” in the rearview mirror as I drove home from the hospital after having my first child.
I wasn’t some hard-nosed career woman who decided to play Russian roulette with her fertility by waiting until her very last egg popped out – preferably between conference calls. I had met the right man – and, idiot me in retrospect, I wanted the whole package: the career, the husband and the baby.
If you’re a mum, I’m sure my story sounds familiar, because there really isn’t anything special about my life. Every day, working mothers like me are giving up on their needs to care for their families and spending their waking hours working non-stop to make sure all the boxes on the to-do list are ticked.
Before I had my baby, salon appointments were feel-good necessities that I took for granted. Now they’re a hassle and have been downgraded from pampering to self-preservation.
So here’s my take: Stop! Have those beautiful babies but recognise this: It’s YOUR time! Do something wonderful for yourself. Get a massage! Take a nap! Hell, get a massage and a nap!
Because this intriguing combination of a kitten and a shark known as a working mum needs her solitary me time.