I’m sure I’m not the only 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 one day had 30 hours.
Of all the jobs that being a woman entails these days, guess which one is the hardest? Rising children. This job has no sick days or vacations and it comes with a nagging guilt of not being good enough. Over the years I have learned that being a “super mom” is not doing everything, but doing what matters most. Sometimes it’s okay to let those dust bunnies multiply in peace. I would like to share some mantras that every mother can live with and that I have learned from my own mother.
Take care of yourself: Like the oxygen mask rule on airplanes, you can’t help your family if you’re in bad shape yourself. Take time out of your busy life for a few moments of pampering. You deserve it, and you will come back energized, renewed and happy.
Organize, organize, organize: Taking an hour to plan your day / week / month often seems like a waste of time, but there is no way you can manage a home on the go. The few minutes spent planning meals, housework, and shopping can save you hours of indecision and repeat trips to the store, and avoid chaos at peak times of the day.
Delegate: Being a “super mom” doesn’t mean doing everything. Learn to delegate! Make sure everyone in the family has some chores to do so they appreciate what it takes to run a home. And whenever it’s too difficult, CALL FOR HELP!
Spend time together: What matters the most is not how clean you keep your house or if all your errands end. What matters most is the time you spend with your children. Play together, read together, and spend quality time with them. This is the moment when we only see them and their talents; time in which they feel the full impact of our love and admiration, when they know without a doubt that they are everything to us.
I want to congratulate 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 too.