A Happier Momma

I just read an article by Kevin DeYoung in which he concludes by stating: "it would be better for us and for our kids if we made fewer outings, got involved in fewer activities, took more breaks away from the kids, did whatever we could to get more help around the house, and make parental sanity a higher priority" (Children and Secondhand Stress).  Ah.  I agree.


I find it so easy to get caught up in doing things with and for our kids.  I make myself stressed out about life, when what I need to do is simply lower my expectations of myself, thus making life more enjoyable for our whole family.  Time to slow down.  Breathe.  Rest.  Go on a date.  Make simpler meals.  Nap.  Accept help - even ask for help.



Really, doing all those things -- even some of those things -- would make for a much happier Momma.  And more enjoyable lives on the whole.  So why don't I do all that?  Why don't I nap?  Why don't I ask for help?  Pride, I guess.  I want to be able to do it all.  I want to be SuperMom.  The thing is, I can be.  Or at least I can be close.  But not while being happy, rested, and sane.


I feel like I've been saying this for a while.  "I need to ask for help.  I need to accept help.  I need to rest.  I need to get out of the house without the kids more.  I need to slow down."  But it's so much easier said than done.  And it seems like whenever I do start to slow down and live life at a more reasonable pace, things quickly pick up and get crazy again.


So here I am, declaring that I will nap.  At least when both my kids are sleeping at the same time.  And napping means that my dishes might not get done, and my laundry might not get folded, but then I will ask for help.  Because a happier, more rested Momma makes for a happier family.