When did REST become a four-letter-word? Rest to me seems luxurious, inappropriate, not to be talked about. Anyone else feel ashamed when they take a rest? Or worse, when they NEED to rest?
I feel like there are two trends in our society. One is the Pinterest Mom. The other is the Lazy Mom. And unfortunately, I think we as moms force ourselves into one of these two categories.
Either we have it all together and make ourselves crazy trying to be “perfect.” Or we feel guilty because we fall into the lazy mom category and don’t even try to to do all the things.
Well, after talking to a friend I’ve realized that there needs to be a third category. The “I know my limits and I’m super secure with them” mom.
See, my friend and I were talking about how she had been asked to do something that she really didn’t want to do. But everyone at the table jumped in to offer their help, except her. One was a working mom who figured out a way to get it done. One was a part-time working mom who had just been complaining about being SO tired but also crammed in into her schedule.
However, my friend didn’t. Nope. She sat there, as a stay at home mama to two littles who are in school and said NO.
She told me she could feel the eye-rolls, but she didn’t care. She said that it wasn’t that she couldn’t do it what was asked it was that she wasn’t going to.
My mind = blown.
Isn’t it so true in our lives? If we have one spare second and aren’t doing something with it then we must be lazy. But if we organize the most rad birthday party our child has ever seen then we must be leading a miserable unfulfilled life because clearly, we care more about the birthday party than our own child.
See where I’m going with this?
It’s not that I can’t do something, it’s that I won’t.
No, I won’t put myself under so much of a time crunch that I can’t even let my child go to the bathroom or we will be late just so I can say I did it.
No, I won’t agree to help even though I’m sitting at home catching up on the Bachelorette.
Because I know my limits! Because I know that I need to just be. And sometimes just being means saying no. Even though I could! Even though it appears as if my schedule is wide flipping open!
I’m just not sure when rest became a four-letter-word.
Seriously. As if resting our bodies, minds, and souls is something only weak-willed people do. Like I will run my precious and only body to the ground to prove that I am not in need of rest!
What have we done to ourselves? What are we teaching our children?
I have listened to so many influential moms talk about tips that have helped them in their lives and the number one things they talk about is taking a step back.
That’s right. Not more of, less of. Doing less. Expecting less. Resting.
Seems backward. But, somehow our society went from experiencing life as it comes to filling every minute with an educational stimulus that we realized we can’t keep up. And if we do we’ve lost our ability to have relationships with ourselves.
Ourselves! Remember that person we were before? Before marriage. Before kids. Before.
I want to get back to myself. I want to get back to just chilling with my kids. To not feeling like if I say no people will need to see my crammed calendar to justify my no.
I’m working on being an “I know my limits and I’m super secure with them” mom. I am. I’m not perfect. But I’m determined to scale back and be okay. I will rest. And it will be glorious.
