That’s Your Job as Parent – MOM

by brandyellen // January 9, 2013 // Comments off

The end of the day nears, Mom works to get her two sons into bed snug as a bug in a rug so that they can fall into a deep state of slumber {for a few hours}. As soon as her sons fall asleep she goes upstairs to tend to her oldest, and only, daughter. This is their Mom/Daughter time, a cherished half hour together of reviewing homework, laughing and rambling about whatever. All that this daughter wants is her Mom to listen. Due to Mom’s great listening skills, her daughter tells her near everything about her life, school and the world.

Christmas Morning Most recently Mom found out that during this age in her daughter’s life that the children at school think it weird that she tells her Mom so much. Apparently to have a close relationship with a parent is unacceptable and children just do not understand it. This daughter feels that she needs to sometimes be mean to her Mom in order to ‘fit in’ at school and as much as she hates to be mean, she does not want to be the weird kid who is close to her Mom either.

Completely understanding, Mom places her arms around her daughter and tells her that she knows why at times her daughter is mean and also reminds her that there will be many more years of them having their battles together. There may be a point where she absolutely hates her Mom {or so she thinks} and they are not as close for a period of time and that is okay because Mom loves her daughter unconditionally, forever and always. That is her job as Mom. Never would Mom hold a grudge against her child, for any reason. Never would Mom not love her daughter anymore because she was being hateful, spiteful or rude, that is not Mom’s job.

The fact that Mom completely understands not only the pressure put upon this child at this age in life but also the pressure she has outside of school seems to really strike a chord with the daughter. For half an hour the Mom listens to her daughter ramble about things that have been going on, she just needed to get it all out through tears and sobs of crying. All this daughter needed was for Mom to listen and say she understands. Once the daughter was done with her venting and Mom gave some words of wisdom and love, they both moved onto bedtime routine and quickly the daughter fell asleep.

Meanwhile the Mom was wide awake carrying not only the burden of her own troubles in life but that of her child’s, however, there isn’t one thing Mom would change about this because that is her job as a parent. As a parent, Mom or Dad, we carry the burden of our children so to allow them to be a child.

Moms: It’s Ok to Refresh

by Nan Gibbons // October 27, 2011 // Comments off

A lot of moms feel guilty about taking time off for themselves or asking a family member or friend to watch their kid(s) for a night while they take a much-needed rest. It’s perfectly fine to have a little “you time” here and there, or even to take out-of-town trips.

The Perfect Weekend Getaway

I traveled to Chicago recently for work but decided to stay an extra few days just to relax and spend some time alone. I’m a single mom and I own my own small business as a licensed personal trainer, so I often feel a little run down after a couple of long weeks of work.

My son was staying with my mom, so I decided to check out the Chicago Convention & Tourism Bureau while I was downtown for my event to see what else was going on.

I felt a little guilty at first for enjoying a solo vacation while my mom watched my son, but I stumbled across another mom’s blog about why she’d taken to traveling alone every now and then.

I was sold.

A lot of times, we don’t realize how much we do on a daily basis until we stop doing it. Furthermore, others don’t realize how much we do until we’re not around to do it anymore. Every mom deserves a break and I decided that the end of my business trip was my time. Whether you’re a single mom or not, everyone needs a break every now and then.

Many moms also think that taking time for a solo vacation is selfish. Sure, the kids or the husband want to go also, and there’s always time for that. But, the truth is, even when you’re on vacation with your kids and family, you’re still busy being a mom, sometimes even more so. You’re still working in a sense and you still have to look out for the well-being of others, cook, clean and deal with kids’ meltdowns.

Getting away is good not only for you, but also for the family. You don’t know what you have until it’s gone and your kids likely don’t have a chance to appreciate how awesome you are.

A Night Out?

Even if you can’t get away for a week or a weekend, even a night out on the town can be a great refresher for moms. Try to organize a night a month where you can go out with friends or with your husband. Make it a scheduled event, so that way everyone knows when it’s your night to relax and have a good time.

So, when the time comes for your own perfect weekend getaway or night out with friends, don’t feel guilty. Take off, and don’t look back until it’s time to return.

Newsletter Day

by brandyellen // April 18, 2010 // Comments off

I have yet to actually do a newsletter in weeks and this was suppose to be a weekly newsletter, a way to connect on a more personal level with everyone and well I suck! LOL Totally joking, I am awesome! Ha ha! In all honesty I have been full of energy and happiness it’s truly a great feeling and not to mention because I am so happy and full of energy my children have been happier and that is what matters most to me!

Anyways … long story short I plan to get a newsletter out later today so if you are not subscribed please feel free to sign up for my weekly newsletter and while doing so be sure to check off if you are interested in giveaway information so I can send you the giveaway link as soon as I have a giveaway live on site!