I am sure I am not the only one being a wife, mother, daughter, cook, and housekeeper who also wants to be intellectually stimulated by a challenging career and hopes to pursue hobbies like writing, reading, and dancing. Phew! If only a day had 30 hours.
Out of all the jobs that comes with being a woman these days, guess which is the hardest? Parenting. This job does not have any sick days or holidays and comes with a persistent guilt of not being good enough. Over the years I have learnt that being a “Super Mom” is not doing everything but doing what matters the most. It is okay sometimes to let those dust bunnies multiply in peace.
As Mother’s Day approaches, I would like to share some mantras that every mom can live by that I have learnt from my own mom.
Take care of yourself: Just like the oxygen mask rule in planes, you cannot help your family if you are in bad shape yourself. Take time out from your busy life for a few moments of pampering. You deserve it, and you will return energized and refreshed and happier.
Organize, organize, organize: Putting aside an hour to plan out your day/week/month often seems like a waste of time, but there is no way you can manage a home on the fly. The few minutes spent on planning meals, chores, and grocery runs can save hours of indecision and repeat trips to the store, and prevent chaos at busy times of the day.
Delegate: Being a “Super Mom” does not mean doing it all. Learn to delegate! Make sure everyone in the family has some chores to do so they appreciate what it takes to run a household. And whenever it’s all too hard, ASK FOR HELP!
Spend time together: What matters most is not how clean you keep your house or if all your errands get done. What matters most is the time you spend with your children. Play games together, read together, and set aside chunks of quality time with them. This is the time where we only see them and their talents; time where they feel the full impact of our love and admiration, when they know without a shadow of a doubt that they are everything to us.
On this mother’s day, I want to give a shout out to my mom, who is so loving, caring, generous, patient, involved, strong, creative, kind, selfless and always two steps ahead. She is a Super Mom, and I know you can be one too.
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!
This article can also be found under the title 'Mantras for Motherhood' at: http://waternoice.com/2012/04/16/mantras-for-motherhood/
