IMPORTANCE OF SELF CARE
Look, we all need a break every now and then, we parents are human too. All the diapers, fussiness, screaming, tantrums, baths, bottles, it can all be very tiring and overwhelming. This is especially true if you are a working parent. When you’re raising kids, you have the tendency to forget about all about yourself. You are so busy taking care of your little one that you forget how much you miss being able to go out for lunch or run errands alone with no diaper bags, strollers, and screaming children. You shouldn’t be ashamed to admit that you just want some time away from your kids and just be alone with yourself or your significant other. I never realized how tired I am until my wife put the kids to nap and I began writing this post thinking WOW, I really miss being able to go out to dinner alone with my wife. We joke about it but it is crucial for our mental health to be able to get away for a moment and not have to deal with chaos at home. We shouldn’t be ashamed to say it out loud. If we parents don’t take care of our selves and our mental health, it will effect our relationship with our significant others and our kids. If we don’t take care of ourselves no one will. These are things that I would do (pre-pandemic) to get some “me time.”
1.) FIND A WAY TO GET SOME QUIET TIME.
Before the pandemic, I would book a massage appointment at Burke Williams just to relax and get away for a little bit. I am not particularly fond of massages but being in a relaxing atmosphere with some relaxing music really does the trick.
2.) GO OUT TO DINNER WITH NO KIDS.
Believe me, I enjoy being able to eat out with my wife and kids. I also enjoy eating with my wife at a nice restaurant and not have one of my kids shit themselves. Now that Los Angeles is opening up, I am looking forward to quiet dinners with her and try out new restaurants I have been seeing on social media. I am also looking very forward to getting piss drunk at these new restaurants. We would go out to dinner almost every single night before we had kids. It really gave us a chance to enjoy and get to really know one another. I am planning on really putting my children’s’ grandparents to work over the weekends. I have no shame in my game. Both sides of the families have had plenty of rest. It is time for mom and dad to get away for a few hours every Friday and Saturday night for the foreseeable future. #sorrynotsorry mom.
3.) GO ON A DAMN TRIP.
This one may be a little difficult because this takes some planning and coordinating with our babysitters aka My children’s grandparents. Even though this necessary yet annoying mask mandate everywhere you go can really get on your last nerve, I think I see a nice week long trip with no kids in my future. Preferably somewhere hot.
Like I said, don’t be ashamed of wanting to be alone. There is nothing in this world I love more than being with my kids. However, they can make me want to gouge my own eyes out. You are human, you are working very hard and deserve sometime to relax. No one ever said raising a family is easy, give yourself a break.