I did a horrible thing and I had to be punished for it! I had done something that most moms are guilty of but rarely get called out for it. I forgot to fill my mom tank.
Hear me out.
From the moment we wake up, if we are lucky, we are “mom.” We begin to cater to each of our mini-me’s as if they are completely helpless. Making them breakfast, changing diapers, losing sleep, cleaning up messes, changing clothes and listening constantly are all eating away at our resources as a mom. There is only one of us. We have to make sure that we refill our tank from time to time to keep us in tip top shape for mommyhood.
It was bound to happen. Work, stress and every day life as a mom had drained me. I know when I have been drained because I begin to stare blankly at my kids while they ramble on about the injustice for the moment. It isn’t until they say, “Mom, are you listening?” that I snap back asking for a recap. That is not the momma I want to be.
I want to listen to my kids while they still want to talk to me, because I know the teenage years are coming, and that terrifies me. I don’t want to blink and miss everything. I want to live in the moments with them, capturing as many as I can on still life and video. I want to remember the good, the bad and the not so pretty times. But how can I stretch myself so thin without feeling the pressure of being on the brink of snapping.
So, I decided to call on my momma. I begged and pleaded for no-kid-play date! Okay, I didn’t have to beg too hard, but I did ask without hesitation or worry of her schedule. The wonderful thing about my mother is that we share so many interests; Art, DIY, bargain buys and laughter therapy. I love making my mom laugh and she loves to fill my tank. So we went on an adventure together.
I left my house around 12:30pm. Its roughly a 20 minute drive to mommas’ house. I went inside so she could show me all the wonderful projects she has been working on lately, since we don’t see each other daily now that she isn’t watching my kids anymore. She is so insanely creative, I’m super jealous.
We went to visit Blick Art Supply Store (pictured above), and then we did some other shopping we wouldn’t dream of taking kids to. We were able to complete full sentences and we were Beverly and Charity and not Nana and Mommy. It was wonderful. But all good things must come to an end, and our time ended when the video chats started. “Mommy, when are you coming home, You’ve been gone for SIX HOURS!?!”
Both dinner and I will be home within the hours. I ordered delivery while we were checking out at the final store and when we both got into the car, knowing our time had ended, we both looked around for anything to extend our time together. But alas, I took my momma home, told her I loved her and headed for my own.
The moment I walked in the door, the kids were standing there anxiously blurting out the events of the day. My eyes were so wide, the whole day was so quiet. But I sat down, ate and resumed mommyhood on a full tank.
If you ever want to do something wonderful for that special mommy in your life, give her a moment to refill her tank. This is something different for everyone, but I’m pretty sure you know what your special mom needs to replenish.