Will I Always be a Tired Mom?

  We had three boys in 2.5 years. When they were 2 years, 1 year, and 3 months old, I kept telling myself that once I got out of the baby/toddler stage, I wouldn’t be so tired. Once they could feed themselves, get themselves dressed for the day, and become more independent, I wouldn’t be so tired.

They are now 9, 8, and 7 and our daughter is 3 but guess what? I’m still tired!! Yes, they can now feed themselves, clothe themselves, and do most things for themselves…but I’m still tired.

I’m learning that as my kids get older, it just becomes a different kind of tired. Right now, we are in the “My Mom is a Taxi” stage. I basically drive kids around to where they need to go, make sure that all schedules are organized, homework gets completed and everyone is fed. New stage, same tired.

Don’t get me wrong – I LOVE being a mom! I am so thankful for this gift. I know that being a parent is a lot of work and yes, I will have times of being tired. But, even though stages in parenting can be tiring at times, I shouldn’t be tired ALL of the time. When the month of May arrived this past year, I thought I might not make it to the end of the school year because I was absolutely exhausted. So many schedules, so many activities, so many end-of-year ceremonies. All great things, but I was so tired.

This summer I reflected on how the past spring semester went for our family. I asked myself what changes I need to make so I won’t be so tired ALL the time. Because the truth is, when I am rested and not exhausted, I am a better mom, wife, employee, and friend.

Here are some items I plan to focus on this school year:

*Get organized – Schedules are written down for the upcoming week, and Ian and me discuss each day so we are both on the same page. Who is taking Luke to practice on Monday? What is for dinner on Wednesday?

*Limit distractions – Last week I was looking on my phone at the time I spent scrolling through Facebook in one-afternoon session. I spent 1 hour! 1 HOUR….LOOKING AT FACEBOOK!!! I seriously couldn’t believe it. I found a handy tool on my phone called “Screen Time”. I have now set an alarm on my phone for 40 minutes. Once I have used up the daily allotted time of 40 minutes for social media, my phone blocks all social media apps until the next day. Truth bomb – I probably wouldn’t be so tired if I used my time being productive rather than mindlessly scrolling social media sites for hours. (Ouch! That stung a bit!)

*Change my attitude – I’ll be honest, sometimes thinking about 3 different weekly soccer practices doesn’t put me in the best mood. However, I love seeing my kids thrive at doing activities they love. I am working on focusing my thoughts toward thankfulness.

*Choose activities wisely – I want my kids involved and doing activities they love. But, do they really need to play six sports and take lessons for five different instruments? Nope. If it’s going to take up time, it needs to be an activity/sport that is worth the time.

*Get kids involved – Kids should know the weekly schedule as well. Plus, they should know what their expectations are concerning homework completion, packing lunches, chores, etc. A family unit can become stronger when everyone pitches in to help rather than just the parents trying to do all the work.

*Ask for help – This one is hard for me. I never want to feel like a burden; but the truth is, we need others and others need us! There will be times this year when I will need help getting kids to different locations for practices and I am challenging myself to ask for help.

*Make time for rest – Call me high maintenance, but I need 7-8 hours of sleep every night. It can be too easy for me to get on the computer and lose track of time while grading papers at night once the kids are in bed. I am going to work on getting to bed on time each night. Also, it’s important to find time each weekend to rest. We usually make sure that Sunday afternoons and evenings are spent at home resting and gearing up for the week ahead.

*Keep your peace – Peace is a promise from God. He desires that we have peace in our hearts and minds, but it requires spending time with Him. Make it a priority.

*Serve others – It is so easy to get caught up in busy schedules that we become too tired to serve others. However, serving others should energize us! How can I help someone? Where can I serve? Two places that always need volunteers – schools and churches. Don’t allow “I’m too busy” or “I’m too tired” to keep you from serving.

I’m striving this year to keep my peace. I don’t want to allow myself to become so tired with life that my roles as mom and wife aren’t thriving. It’ll take effort on my part, but I believe the result is well worth the work.