248.8 Mommy's Locked in the Bathroom

Mommy's Locked in the Bathroom

I am convinced that becoming a mom is synonymous with losing your sanity.  It starts with that ever consuming worry about how your little one is doing as they grow inside you, moves into the stresser of the quickly approaching and unknown experience of labor, and, just when you think it is over, the baby is born and the real crazy begins.  Every new stage of raising a child brings its own joy and wonderful experiences.  Along with these experiences, I feel like I also reach a new level of crazy that I never thought possible.  There is somehow more crying, more worrying, and more frustration.  It all leads me to thinking...what is wrong with me!

Perhaps my favorite part of this book is the fact that it exists.  It is somehow reassuring that there are enough moms in the world that are feeling this crazy insanity that they wrote a whole book about how to deal with it.  At the bare minimum, there is one other human being walking around feeling they are teetering on the edge of being committed, the author.  I know it is not this bare minimum though.  It is like the second you become a Mom you become part of this weirdly exclusive group that no one acknowledges or explains.  We are tied together by our crazy and that somehow makes me feel...a little less crazy.

The book is organized into chapters addressing common Mom problems.  Each problem includes stories of the author's own experiences, biblical scriptures related to the issue, stories about other women going through the same things, and tips to help you gain back just a little sanity as you face these problems in your own life.  I love the comraderie that is built by hearing true stories from others and the "Mom's Moments" action tips have been extremely helpful to me in dealing with my most pressing problems at home (don't worry, I'll go in more detail below).  But what I really love about each chapter is how it all relates back to faith.  As a christian, it was reassurring to know that my problems were addressed by God and that Jesus could be a model for what I should do to get the most out of life with my new little one.

My favorite chapter from the book is the very first one, "Getting Away from It All."  The whole chapter is about how moms never get time to themselves.  Our lives become so consumed with their needs and attention, that we get placed on the back burner.  We end up sneaking in precious "me time" by locking the bathroom door, volunteering for quick errands, or even playing hide-and-go-seek with the sole purpose of finding an amazing hiding spot that will guarantee at least 10 minutes of solitude.  What was so reassuring was that the author pointed out that throughout the bible, even Jesus set aside time to himself.  In Mark 1:35 it says Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place.  In Matthew 12:23 he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray.  In Matthew 14:13 he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place.  If Jesus, the model leader, needed "me time" then we do to.  

It is okay to give yourself a moment.  It is okay to ask for this time.  This chapter gave me the push I needed to ask my husband to give me some breaks.  This has helped my sanity, my relationship with my son, and my relationship with my husband.  I have found that everyone feels better when mommy feels better.  

Other chapter included amazing tips on issues like:

• Getting stuck in mommy talk- it seems like becoming a parent has made me unable to have conversations that don't center around a bodily fluid.  This chapter gave some great ideas on how to devote time to other topics and rekindle that conversation with your significant other 
• Guilt- there is plenty of guilt to go around the parenthood table.  We guilt our spouses, our kids, other parents, and, worst of all, ourselves.  It is okay to let go of perfection and just try your best and love you child
• Overwhelmed by Chores- Are you the only one in your house who knows how to change the toilet paper roll?  Is it slowly making you want to commit murder?  This chapter helps to vocalize these frustrations in a healthy way and to create some balance in your household
• Loving your body- Boy has mom life changed my body.  I am no longer the spunky, fit gymnast of my early 20s.  I got plenty of flab and jiggles to go around.  This chapter is wonderful for gaining a little self love and appreciation for the body that housed your precious gem.

If you are a christian parent, you should definitely check out this book.  It will give a chuckle, some time to reminisce, and some tips that really could change your life.  

If you liked this post and read the book, please let me know what you thought.  Also, any great mom stories or tips that may help me to feel better about my own abilities as a parent are greatly appreciated.