How to make yourself feel a bad mum!
2 December 2014
Monday the first of December and what a start to the week/month/run-up-to-Christmas…
Here’s how it went this morning: I set the alarm really early with every intention of getting up early and wading through and eye-wateringly long email backlog.
In the event I didn’t quite manage the early start and by the time I pottered downstairs it was time to rouse the rabble of kids and get breakfast ready.
From upstairs I heard a little voice saying “Mama can I go and check the advent calendar?”
Oh – erm - sugar! I forgot to fill the advent pocket last night.
Well if I’d been half asleep before that question, I wasn’t now!
Dashing to the top floor I dived into the cupboard – the special one that all mums have for hiding goodies – only to discover that they WEREN’T THERE!
Following close - whispered – interrogation of my two older boys it was clear that they were not the culprits and that I had simply put my stash somewhere very safe…
In the meantime my youngest dashed into the kitchen “Mama, Father Christmas didn’t come last night.”
Oh dear.
Mumbled, unintelligible response from me…
Ever chirpy my youngest pipes up “Never mind” and proceeds to stand on a chair, extract some chocolate from the top shelf of a kitchen cupboard, break it into three chunks – for the three boys – and pop it into the advent calendar.
I could have kicked myself.
I was so annoyed with myself.
I felt a complete failure of a mother…
… and proceeded to stomp around the house like a bear with a sore head.
I mean how could I FORGET my Father Christmas duties after a relaxing weekend of laundry, cleaning, cooking, food shopping, ferrying to football matches, badminton and swimming, doing a batch cook for the week, homework, trumpet practise, clarinet practise, cornet practise, preparing a dinner party, my oldest son’s 15th birthday party…. I mean how could I???
Hang on a sec…
That’s quite a lot of “stuff”. Maybe I should give myself a break!
Do you find yourself beating yourself up for minor “failings” that – with the benefit of hindsight - are completely ridiculous and insignificant?
So what I’m getting at today is this: I think we mums are sometimes our own worst enemies. We are critical, we pile pressure on ourselves and we generally give ourselves a tough ride.
Today I’d suggest taking 5 minutes out of your hectic schedule to look at all things you do every day – list them even. I think you’ll be surprised by the sheer volume of work accomplished.
Time to give yourself a pat on the back.
And for that matter, I’d like to give you a pat on the back too, so why not hit reply and tell me all the things you’ve been up to so that you can have an email “pat on the back” for me – we all deserve it, I reckon!
Sending you lots of “mummy pats on the back”
Jo – I’ve got tomorrow’s advent calendar pocket ready - Helcké