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| KATIE E. SPIETH / Scroll Photo Illustration |
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Running around chasing kids all day, every day is tough stuff. Moms need time for themselves to refresh from everyday life.
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Moms: Imagine a typical day chasing after your inexhaustible children. As much as you love them, by the end of that day you are just drained.
Now imagine the same day, but add in a single hour, anywhere in the day, that you have all to yourself. Does it make a difference? Many moms say it can make all the difference.
“I think it’s important, and healthy, for a mother to have time away [from her kids] because when she comes back she’s refreshed and motivated to be better than she was. She’s a better mother and a better person,” Vanessa Baldwin, a Rexburg resident and mother of five children ranging in ages from 2 to 12, said.
“Give yourself a little time alone,” Jennifer Edwards, mother of four and a Rexburg resident, said. “Having that time to yourself really does refresh your spirit. It just makes you feel better.”
Every mom has her own way of doing things and a time of day that works best for her. It might be before her kids get up in the morning or it might be after they go to sleep at night. It doesn’t matter when it is; the key is for mothers to ensure that they fit that “me time” in.
Even accounting for individual tastes, there are some common factors that mothers have found to be helpful. One of them is napping, both for the children and the moms.
I have to take a nap everyday with my little ones,” Baldwin said.
“When my kids take a nap, I take a nap,” Edwards said. Even when she doesn’t nap with her children, she said she takes advantage of that time to do things for herself.
Another activity many mothers find rejuvenating is exercise. “It’s a great release,” Baldwin said. “Just to leave for 45 minutes and exercise really hard is a great boost.” She likes to listen to music or conference tapes without the interruptions of home.
Helpful husbands can often play a big part in this process. “Hopefully you have a supportive husband,” Baldwin said. “He really makes it possible for me when I need it.”
“When my husband comes home after work, he can tell if I’ve had that time or not,” Alissa Garner, resident of Rexburg and mother of three, said. “He understands that I’m with the children all day, and tries to give me some time.”
Comparing the days when they get that alone time to the days when they don’t, a lot of mothers are able to see a noticeable difference.
“I’m probably more short-tempered if I don’t feel like I’ve had a moment to think to myself,” Debbie Baxter, a Rexburg resident and mother of six children ranging from 9 months to 13 years, said. “You’ll be able to handle your kids better and you won’t get as frustrated or lose your temper as much.”
“The day doesn’t seem to run as smooth as opposed to the days I get my alone time,” Garner said. “I feel like I accomplish more.”
