I came across the term "fake it 'till you make it" a few years ago, and my first thought was, "Why on earth would I want to do that?" Now I understand. I have two kids, one five years old and one 8 months old. With my older daughter, I didn't have to work right away and I had all the time in the world to spend at home with her. I slept when she slept, night and day, and had an amazing network of friends around me to help whenever I needed it. Now, I don't have the luxury of not working and napping all day long. I have my 5 year old to take care of, and I take care of other children in my dayhome. I am usually up between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. having been woken up several times in the night, and work starts at 8:00. All school year, I acted as taxi driver to my daughter and husband as we only have the one vehicle. Load kids in car, drop off husband, come home, eat breakfast, load kids in car again, drop off daughter, come home, let baby nap, load kids in car, pick up daughter, come home, make lunch....and that's just the beginning of a typical day. I have definitely had to fake it or I wouldn't have made it.
Today my baby slept through the night (something she has only done a handful of times). She went to bed last night at 9:00, woke up at midnight to eat, as per usual, then slept until the alarm went off at 7! Imagine my surprise when I woke up to sunshine and an alarm clock ringing! WOW, I felt good...until I moved. Then I discovered that my head was pounding, my body ached and my nose was runny. I am sick.
Great, my baby finally sleeps 7 hours, after a week of teething and nursing every couple hours, and I wake up feeling awful. Yep, I'll be faking it today. I take some Ibuprofen, drink some coffee, and get moving. If I sit down I know I will not want to get back up, so GO GO GO! I feed the kids, clean the kitchen, check my email, mediate the squabbles of kids....well, you get the idea.
I understand faking it more than ever these days. As a mother, you have to possess the skill, or you're sunk! I'm sure all the moms out there know exactly what I'm talking about! So, here's to you mommies, and your uncanny ability to fake it 'till you make it. Good for you.
I'm interested to hear what you have to do to fake your way through the day when you truly just don't have the energy or desire to do it. I just don't sit down. I keep myself busy at every possible minute so I don't have to think about how tired or sick or grumpy I am. How do you cope?
This is a comment sent by a friend of mine who doesn't have a log in on blogger:
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, 68% of moms are chronically sleep deprived, falling short of the sleep we need at least a couple of nights each week.
"A new baby typically results in 400-750 hours lost sleep for parents in the first year."
"Some studies suggest women need up to an hour's extra sleep a night compared to men, and not getting it may be one reason women are much more susceptible to depression than men."
Some moms use coffee to perk them up, especially in the morning. I pray - for strength and endurance to get through the day. Thankfully (I keep reminding myself) that this is a season & 'it too shall pass'. Being a mom is the best sacrifice I've made, and am proud to have taken the challenge - the rewards are immeasurable!
You could do a Blog on 'All in A Day's Work' Not that this isn't impressive :)
I often tell myself that this season will pass! My five year old it to the point where she can do many things by herself. She gets dressed, gets ready for the day, gets ready for bed...it's really nice! She also sleeps 10-12 hours per night. I think it will be so wonderful when that day comes for my little one too! We all need a little reprieve though, so I'm thankful to have a spouse who helps out as much as he can. Sometimes on weekends he'll take the baby downstairs and let me sleep in, which is sooooo nice!
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