Here Comes the Mommy Guilt

Its final, I booked a hotel. Yippee!! My mind wanders thinking about all the wonderful things I'm going to do. Not cook, Yes! Take a long luxurious bath, after I clean the bathtub of course, (I worked at a resort and remember how thoroughly I cleaned bathtubs). Spend time with God, go for a walk, watch a movie, finish a writing project, eat breakfast by myself without someone throwing food at me. Even staring at a blank wall seems divine.

But then it happened, the Mommy guilt settled in...I'm the mommy, mommy's shouldn't need time off.

I think because being a mom, aka...taking care of, cleaning after, driving here and there, is something we do out of love, we think if we need a break, we don't love our children. Well, this is a boldfaced lie. But, as I sat there staring at my computer screen, my reservation confirmed, the mommy guilt was a burden.

Last month, I spoke at a local MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group about the importance of caring for oneself, and the question that most women had was,"What do you do with the Mommy guilt?" Honestly, I don't have the answer. Moms that work at home, and Moms that work outside the home both experience Mommy guilt in different ways, and I don't think there is a clear answer. Except, that we as Moms need to take care of our health, and we need time to ourselves to remind us who we are as women. So, as you book the hotel room, or simply go for a walk by yourself, either embrace that guilt,

or kick it to the curb because you Mom, need to take care of you.