Mamas Should Chase Rainbows, Too

Often, when I think back about the things I’ve yelled at my preschooler for, none of them are things that are out of the ordinary. They’re very much ordinary kids’ things. They’re almost nothing, sometimes.

Often, the times I’ve yelled at my child are usually times when I’m tired either mentally or physically, haven’t had enough me-time, or haven’t had enough breaks away from the kids (which happens easily when you’re a stay-at-home-mom or a work-at-home-mom).

Which is why I slowly shied away from focusing too much on finding what makes children happy, and shifted my focus to self-care. And I’m very grateful for a partner who supports this quest.

Because many times, I know children need play. I know children need validation, I know children need our presence, and so forth. But many times, I fail to cater to what I know, because I am too tired, or because I am not feeling well emotionally, and mainly, because I forget to care about myself, too.

A parent’s well-being & emotions matter a lot, and perhaps are the foundation before we can start giving our best to our children - to provide them with lots of opportunities for play, to give our presence, and to help them find that rainbow, among other things.

‘Self-care’ is not simply a fad or a short-lived hype. It is essential. The detrimental effects from the lack of it is real. I have learned the hard way.

Here’s to taking care of ourselves. And here’s to helping the mothers around us in any way we can. You’ll never know when a mother is breaking apart inside or is deeply longing for a break.

And here’s definitely to reminding ourselves and fellow mamas that WE need to find that rainbow, too.