I heard from a mother this morning who is having difficulty helping her family adjust to her new career. Although she works within the home, all of a sudden she doesn't spend enough time with her family. It's funny how our family reacts when we pursue outside interest. They aren't concerned because we don't spend enough time, but they want ALL our time. It takes a minute for the family to accept our outside interest and some families will just tolerate it, but still want all Mama's time. Don't let guilt stop you from doing what you enjoy. We can't hold hands all day, we can't play all day, and we sure can't romance all day. Do what you do and maybe a little more, then TAKE CARE OF YOU.
I work a few hours outside the home in the evenings plus I have a job I work from home. I've been writing for years and alot of my time is spent on the computer. I still have to make sure my family is fed, dry, and happy before I sit down to work. Even when I ask if anyone needs anything before I sit down, someone will find a reason to interrupt me, but that's okay. They need me, want, me, and like having me around, but they can't have me every minute of the day.
This is difficult for new mothers to do. You truly may NOT have time for outside interest, yet begin training the child early to entertain themselves and learn not to hang on to Mama's dress tail every waking minute.
Our family will actually get jealous and feel our outside interest is replacing them. This is where the guilt comes in. We begin to feel we're neglecting our family when in actuality we're neglecting ourselves. If we KNOW we're doing our best to nurture our family and making sure their needs are met, we have nothing to feel guilty about. Is the house reasonably cleaned? Is food available when they get hungry? Have you given quality time to each child? Is hubby satisfied? Okaaaaay, so what's the problem? You've loved and cared for everyone else, so love yourself enough and take care of you.
