“I went out with a friend last weekend for a late dinner. When I arrived, she asked where my kids were. ‘Oh, they’re at their grandparents for the night.’ And she said, ‘Oh, that must be hard, you must miss them!’ I thought to myself, ‘Not really!’ It’s important for me to remind myself that I am a person. I am not just ‘mom.’ I am so much more.”
‘I love my kids, but I don’t miss them when I get a break. I look forward to it.’: Mom says ‘loving time without your kids doesn’t make you a horrible mother, it makes you human’
‘Tonight, my husband took the kids to a movie. ‘Do something you enjoy.’ Suddenly, I couldn’t think of anything. I walked into the bathroom and didn’t recognize myself.’: Mom says ‘it’s a journey to get back to who you used to be’
“I had spent all this time looking forward to a break from my kids and husband, I hadn’t really thought about what I would do when I was finally alone. I walked into the bathroom and just stood there, staring at myself. ‘Okay, now what?’ I didn’t even recognize myself. I have been so busy being mom, I couldn’t remember who I was before that.”
‘My son starts to scream. This angel comes to the back and says, ‘You look like you need a break,’ and holds him for the rest of the flight.’
“We were standing in the security line, on the verge of tears. When I said thank you to both of them, they said, ‘Don’t you worry, we’re going to make sure you get on that flight.’”
‘I used to be the wild girl, could have 4 or 5 drinks and be dancing like no one’s watching. I had confidence to talk to anyone, had more energy than one should.’
“I am invisible. And that can hurt. There are still parts of the old me that I miss. You are born alone, spend years developing who you are, becoming an independent woman… and then suddenly you become someone’s mom, someone who is too exhausted to enjoy life.”
‘It’s the BEST THING I’VE DONE YET! She forever wants to be held, and now I get my break.’
“Let me tell you, it WORKS!”
