I have decided that there is an enormous amount of guilt associated with being a wife and mother. The constant worry of "Am I spending enough time with my child?"....GUILTY, " "Am I giving my husband enough attention?"....GUILTY, "How do I work full time and keep up with the housework?...I don't"....GUILTY. There seems to be a never-ending stream of media images implying that as women we can have it all and do it all.
Well you know what, I DON'T WANT TO DO IT ALL!!! All I really want to do is feel satisfied in my career, live a happy life and teach my son that love and kindness to others is essential in this life.
I had a 'lightbulb' moment last week, you know, one of those moments when the lightbulb flashes above your head....and you just get it. It had been an extremely stressful week at work, we got home late most nights, rushed around to get dinner and bathing done so that bedtime was not too late, and to top it all off, work rang on the weekend to see if I could come in!!!
In my stressed out state, just after this phone call my son decided he would initiate the following conversation:
B: Mum, adults forget lots of things don't they?
GREAT! I thought, he is going to choose right this very moment to remind of something vitally important that I had forgotten this week!!!
Me: Well, anyone can forget things honey.
B: Yes, but adults really forget things a lot.
Me: I guess so (insert guilty look on my face)
B: Yes, they do (nodding his head to himself)...it's because they need to make more room in their brain.
I looked at him for a moment...and then burst out laughing!!! I thought, how wonderful to be reminded of a child's very simplistic and literal take on things. My laughter could have very quickly turned into tears at that moment, so I grabbed my beautiful boy, hugged him and told him how precious he is to me. The sound of his laughter lifted my mood significantly, and at that moment in time...the guilt ebbed away.
So, my lesson last week....let go of the guilt and live in the moment. Because it is the moments in which we are mindful, that create such meaning in our lives. XXX
Tania i really take my hat off to you. I think you are an amazing, supportive member of staff, a great nurse, and most importantly a fantastic mother. Some people can't even do one of those things well and yet you do them all to such a high standard. Ben is so lucky to have an incredible Mum like you.
ReplyDeleteThankyou so much Amanda, I felt a bit teary reading your post....why is that sometimes the hardest things to accept are the positive things people say about us? I really appreciate your comments and support. XXX
DeleteGreat post Tania, I'm looking forward to reading more soon :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks Meredith, I'm sure there will be many more tales of Ben's ADVENTURES (or should that be MISADVENTURES?).
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