Celebrating Mother’s Day Without Your Kids Doesn’t Make You A Monster
Make sure your kids are safe and not within arms reach of any sharp objects, then close your eyes and picture your perfect Mother’s Day. Many moms might daydream of breakfast in bed, a small gift or two and a family trip to the zoo, others want an big brunch with their own moms and extended family. But there are some moms who secretly wish they could celebrate Mother’s Day without their kids, and they shouldn’t feel bad for wanting time to themselves on a day that’s supposed to be all about them.
Few moms will admit to wanting a Mother’s Day where they don’t have to mother, but let’s be honest, a full day with the kids requires a lot of energy. Especially if you’re a stay at home mom, celebrating Mother’s Day with a meal out or a family day trip isn’t really doing much to show you’re loved and appreciated, it’s adding more planning, packing and potential meltdowns to your day. Even if your Mother’s Day plans are low key, there’s nothing particularly special about being home with the kids. If what you really want is a change from your regularly scheduled programming in honor of Mother’s Day, then go for it.
If your perfect Mother’s Day doesn’t involve answering to the name Mommy, there’s no reason to fake it. Maybe you want a full day to yourself, to be pampered with a massage and facial and then have the opportunity to try on clothes without having to plead with a child to stop peaking into the next changing room. Perhaps you’d love an afternoon to see a movie that isn’t animated. Or maybe you just want five minutes to pee without an audience. Whatever the length of time is that you’d like to be alone, next to your birthday, Mother’s Day is the closest thing you’re going to get to having a genie in a bottle, you might as well make it count.
If you secretly would love a time out on Mother’s Day but are worried about what people will think, staph. The only people who’s opinion really matters on Mother’s Day are your children. If you have a baby, they giveth not a crap because they don’t even understand the concept of time yet, let alone holidays. And if you have older kids who you don’t want to disappoint, look at it as a great lesson is showing them that you’re a person outside of being a mom. Besides, your kids may become parents themselves one day, and even if they can’t understand wanting time alone now, they certainty will once they have kids of their own.
(image: kentoh/shutterstock.com)
