Day 203: Mom duties

1/10/2012

I have realized this week that my mom duties can be overwhelming if I don't as for help. I have been stressed out mostly because I have had no breaks lately. I thought I would be fine without a break... That I am stubborn enough to do it all on my own, without my dad and with little to no help from my friends. Well, I am realizing that I am wrong. Even the best moms need a break every once in a while.

So, that is what I am doing. I have been going back and forth about whether I should leave my kids with friends this weekend and use the retreat as a decompression time for me. At first I didn't want to because I felt guilty for wanting to have time to myself. I thought that because my husband is deployed and I am the only parent here right no, that I am not allowed to be away from them, especially for a weekend. Then I found out where this retreat was supposed to be and realized that it wouldn't be a lot of fun for the kids either. It is too cold for the outside pool and the only things to do around here would cost us some serious money. So, I decided to go ahead and take this one opportunity during this deployment to have a weekend to reset myself. I hope that it will allow me to reset and allow my patience to build up again.

It is okay to take a break. It does not make you a bad parent. It makes you a human being that realizes when a break is needed and when you have to take a step back and take a breath so you can step back up and be a great parent for your amazing children. That is how I am looking at it right now. I am taking a step back because I know I can step back in, refreshed and ready to tackle this deployment.