Today in our society there is a decidedly casual atmosphere. Jeans and t-shirts are the order of the day, with a few yoga pants thrown in for good measure. If you work in an office, there are few and far between that still wear suits on a daily basis (law offices and high finance seem to be the last vestiges of this by-gone era).
Once you traverse into mom-dom, there is an initial degradation of your beauty routine. It is beyond just an overly casual wardrobe containing items with stretchy waists and the ability to sleep in them at all hours of the day. Showers are lax, as is your normal shaving and make-up. Once the fog of newborn-hood lifts and you actually take the time to look at yourself in the mirror, you are faced with two choices. One, you can ignore the fact that you need a haircut and to lose the last 10-20 lbs, or Two, you can start taking care of yourself.
Many moms opt for #1. They just don’ t have the energy to take care of their kids and themselves. Some babies are harder on you than others. My first baby was a collicky, crying mess and my second was a little angel, comparatively.
I wonder how much harder it would have been for me if I hadn’t started exercising when baby #1 was a few months old. If I didn’t have that outlet, in the middle of the winter, where I really couldn’t get out of the house much. I’m sure emotionally it would have been that much harder on me. I also had the pressure of going back to work when he was 4 months old, and I didn’t want to have to buy an entirely new wardrobe. Of course, that’s just me.
Eventually all moms must venture into the world of societal activity again. You now have a very cute child you wish to clothe and show off. Most of their initial nice clothes get worn a few times before being sold or given away to Goodwill. Many dollars are usually spent on these, essentially, throw-away fashions. Meanwhile Mom #1 is still wearing her maternity clothes because she doesn’t want to buy new clothes, and “someday” she will fit into her old clothes. M0m #1 needs a bit of self-love and to start taking care of herself a bit better, doesn’t she?
I’m not talking about getting “thin” or “skinny”, but just the basics of taking care of yourself. It’s not selfish to make yourself look nice, so you can feel better about going out and about. Get a haircut, paint your toenails, and throw the kids at your hubby when he walks in the door so you can have 15 minutes of free time to decompress.
Ever read any of those old 1950’s Good Housekeeping articles geared at how the women need to have drink in hand when their hubby walks in the door, and oh, make sure you rub his feet, too??
Yeah.
I’d be the one drinking that drink…get one your own damn-self hubby. I’m guessing your co-workers didn’t pitch a screaming tantrum about being made to eat FOOD, of all things!
Now, I work full-time, so I not only have a salary I don’t feel guilty about spending on myself, but I also get to pawn my children on others to raise them. Do I feel guilty about that? Sure. However, I like the fact that I can buy milk and cheese and the only reason our electricity goes off is because the grid gets stressed and not because I couldn’t afford to pay the bill last month. Been there, done that, lost the shirt in bankruptcy…don’t need to go back.
I love my kids, but having a sane, happy mom is probably a better thing for them than a mom that’s not happy and stressed out all the time.
Taking the time to take care of myself, in addition to my little precious urchins, is a good thing.
Trust me.
