Do you remember when the late afternoon/evening hours used to mean cocktail happy hour? Friday afternoons at work when you were watching the clock, waiting anxiously for 5 o’clock to strike so you could sprint out of the office and meet the girls for half-off margaritas? Before kids, that was my favorite time of the day a chance to unwind and have a little fun.
Nowadays, I find that I dread this chunk of my day. Two for one cocktails have morphed into two for one Excedrin to counteract the migraine that has begun building up in my frontal lobe whenever the clock strikes 5 pm. For whatever reason, the late afternoon/early evening seems to be the worst time for the kids — and in turn, for mom.
The older kids are tired and crabby after a long day at school and extra curriculars, the toddlers are over stimulated, and the babies are fed up with being carted around while mom tries to keep up with housework, schedules, dinner prep, etc. And dealing with all of that after being up since 5 or 6 in the morning, we’re close to our wits end.
Of course, our partners aren’t home yet to help, as they are probably stuck at work, in traffic, or if like my husband, work unconventional hours and won’t be home to help during this time at all.
Follow it up with dinner, bed time, and prepping for the next day and we’re bound to unconsciously fall face first into our pillow at the end of it with nothing leftover to give ourselves.
I wish I could offer a riveting list of things that could be done to make this time of day easier and all around better. In an unrealistic world where everyone has unlimited means, I’d invite you to employ a Mary Poppins-esque nanny someone to take over while you indulge in a bubble bath followed by a Swedish massage. You could also leave the kids at home with everyone’s favorite babysitters, Mr. Television or Ms. Ipad, and go to happy hour with the girls anyways (KIDDING! THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I WOULD EVER DO OR RECOMMEND). Finally, you could jump into your time machine and travel back to your kid-free life, just for those most painful and trying hours of the day.
Not helpful? I know.
But I will offer you this: you are NOT alone. All of us experience these difficult times every single day. And although I may not be able to give you an answer on how to completely eliminate the stress of the situation, I can tell you that it helps to perform the following ritual when things get tough:
- Take a deep breath
- Lock yourself in the bathroom for five minutes (or more if you can)
- Splash some water on your face
- Remind yourself what a stellar mom and human being you are
- Get back in the game!
You are supermom. You can handle anything. This is your mantra. Own it like a champion!
Disclaimer :: 100% sanity not guaranteed as a result of the above (but you already knew that, didn’t you?)
Now, allow me to throw a curve ball at you . . .
Surprise! The holidays are here! That means that every little thing about being a mom just got that much harder. So, when you’re losing even more sleep to the overstimulated toddler, the stuffing of the turkey for the 20+ people you invited over for Thanksgiving, or the wrapping of the presents for Christmas morning (because let’s face it, even Santa needs help from Supermom), just remember to stay calm. Try and do yourself a favor during the toughest hours of the day and this hectic time of the year … Enjoy EVERY minute of it.
Okay, that’s too much pressure. . . Correction: Enjoy it as much as you can.
This is the HARDEST job we, as women, have done and will ever do. This is NOT happy hour with the girls. This is REAL life. There is NO going back. This is the BEST time of our life. This is the MOST rewarding work we will ever do. We are MOM. We are SUPERHUMAN at 4 pm, 10 pm, and 3 am. We DESERVE to give ourselves a break whenever we can. It is OKAY to admit defeat (those tiny humans are brutal both physically and mentally) and give in to imperfection.
Who cares if the 3 year old had Cheerios and chocolate milk for dinner because we were busy sewing the bells on her reindeer costume for her preschool performance? It will be well worth the adorable pictures.
Who cares if the 4 year old drew a family portrait on the living room wall while we were writing our Christmas cards? At least we got some of them done before Christmas!
Who cares if we dipped the baby’s binky in soda a few times because it kept him from screaming in the cart while out shopping for Thanksgiving necessities? No mom wants to make multiple grocery runs this time of year or ever!
What we should care about is that at the end of the day, because of all the hard work we put in, our kids are healthy and happy individuals. And that result is better than any happy hour cocktail we will ever taste.
