Me Time
Several years ago, I read an article written to homeschooling parents about the importance of taking time for ourselves, of following our own interests, of parents remaining themselves.
I am a firm believer that everyone needs to find time for themselves - to do something that is just for them, to take time alone to re-group, to do whatever they can to escape from reality sometimes. We all need that.
I see so many mothers, especially, who feel guilty because they feel something is lacking in their lives. They feel they should be complete. They enjoy their families. They feel that should be enough.
Call me a feminist, but I still believe that we can have happiness within our families, but we also need happiness from other places. I have always said I am not the type of person who could be a stay-at-home mom. Not that there is anything at all wrong with being a stay-at-home mom, but it would drive me crazy to not go to work outside of my home. It may come from my controlled background in childhood and early adulthood, but I need that time away from home. I need time to study. It's what I love about my college classes. I always say if I could make a living from being a student, that would be the perfect career for me. I need time to read a book, to do my make-up, to get dressed up sometimes, to buy a new necklace, to blog and journal. Those things are me, and they are important.
As an unschooler who believes God made my sons individuals with individual interests and individual talents and individual passions and individual hobbies and individual needs, I believe He also gave me those very things. I cannot ignore what He put in me any more than I can ignore what He put in them. In fact, I believe it is my job to help my sons explore their own interests. That does not even mean I have to be interested in the same thing. I confess, you will very, very, very seldom see me play a video game with my sons. I do not like video games. Never have. If they ask me to play, I will. But they know video games are not my thing. They're okay with that. I'm not going to ask them to read a theology book with me. Okay, well, maybe my twelve-year old. He's more into things like that. He enjoys things like that sometimes. But you get the picture.
I am awaiting a book that I recently ordered that is written by a woman who took some time to travel the world after the birth of her son. Many condemn this woman, but I cannot wait to read what she wrote. I do not see anything wrong with her taking time to fill an emptiness that was within her. That does not mean she loves her son any less. That does not mean she did not nurture her child. That does not even mean that her son did not fulfill her life. It means she needed something for herself. We all do.
I am a firm believer that everyone needs to find time for themselves - to do something that is just for them, to take time alone to re-group, to do whatever they can to escape from reality sometimes. We all need that.
I see so many mothers, especially, who feel guilty because they feel something is lacking in their lives. They feel they should be complete. They enjoy their families. They feel that should be enough.
Call me a feminist, but I still believe that we can have happiness within our families, but we also need happiness from other places. I have always said I am not the type of person who could be a stay-at-home mom. Not that there is anything at all wrong with being a stay-at-home mom, but it would drive me crazy to not go to work outside of my home. It may come from my controlled background in childhood and early adulthood, but I need that time away from home. I need time to study. It's what I love about my college classes. I always say if I could make a living from being a student, that would be the perfect career for me. I need time to read a book, to do my make-up, to get dressed up sometimes, to buy a new necklace, to blog and journal. Those things are me, and they are important.
As an unschooler who believes God made my sons individuals with individual interests and individual talents and individual passions and individual hobbies and individual needs, I believe He also gave me those very things. I cannot ignore what He put in me any more than I can ignore what He put in them. In fact, I believe it is my job to help my sons explore their own interests. That does not even mean I have to be interested in the same thing. I confess, you will very, very, very seldom see me play a video game with my sons. I do not like video games. Never have. If they ask me to play, I will. But they know video games are not my thing. They're okay with that. I'm not going to ask them to read a theology book with me. Okay, well, maybe my twelve-year old. He's more into things like that. He enjoys things like that sometimes. But you get the picture.
I am awaiting a book that I recently ordered that is written by a woman who took some time to travel the world after the birth of her son. Many condemn this woman, but I cannot wait to read what she wrote. I do not see anything wrong with her taking time to fill an emptiness that was within her. That does not mean she loves her son any less. That does not mean she did not nurture her child. That does not even mean that her son did not fulfill her life. It means she needed something for herself. We all do.
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