This post is part of Stress-Less Parenting Club's new workshop."Scary Mommy" Jill Smokler is offering her advice on cutting ourselves some slack, and getting over the notion of perfect parenting. Here, she talks about reclaiming Mother's Day.
Mother's Day is a mere couple of days away... so what are your plans to celebrate this year? Will you be spending the day at a spa? Shopping for new shoes or taking in that movie you've been dying to see? Bringing a stack of unread magazines to a coffee shop and camping out there all afternoon? Lounging in bed, getting up to down a chocolate croissant and then lounging around some more? No, you say? None of the above?
If you're like most moms I know, you're probably looking ahead to a pretty typical Sunday. Maybe you'll get an out-of-the-ordinary breakfast and a card or two, but that's pretty much it. You'll spend the day at a T-ball game or dance recital, perhaps do some gardening and maybe, if you're really lucky, take an extra 10 minutes in the shower. You'll probably make dinner as usual and end up bathing the kids and preparing for the week ahead. Well, no offense, but your upcoming Sunday sucks.
I mean, normally, that would be a wonderful day. The kind of day that life as a mother is all about, but Mother's Day shouldn't be just another day where we do the same old thing. Everyday is Kid's Day, after all -- don't we deserve a day that revolves around us? The answer is yes. Yes, we do. And this year, we're going to get it.
Your challenge:
Make Mother's Day about YOU.
What would your ideal day be? Mine, for one, would involve sleeping as late as I possible (sadly, that's probably about 7 am), going to the grocery store alone, reading a People magazine and getting my nails painted. Pretty simple stuff -- I'm not asking for Adam Levine on a silver platter here -- and there's no reason I shouldn't be able to arrange the ideal day for myself.
Once you have your day in mind, get planning!
Tell (don't ask) your husband what you will be doing. Are you a single mom with no spouse to take over childcare? See if you can partner up with another single mom and each take half of the day to yourselves. Are you a two-mom household? Enlist someone to watch the kids so you both get the day of your dreams. Feel guilty because you ought to be spending the day with your own mom? Get over it; you're a mother now, too. Give her a few hours and then spend the rest the way you want to.
Enjoy it.
If you spend even a minute of your day feeling guilty for not being with your kids, I will hunt you down and smack you. Mommy guilt does not exist on Mother's Day, just like calories do not count on your birthday. Our lives revolve around the children we adore, but motherhood isn't easy, and we all need a break. Besides, it's going to be another 364 days before we get to dictate another day. Don't you dare waste a single second.
Our gift to you: Once you have your Mother's Day plan in place, Tweet it to us at @HuffPostParents. Then, like Jill said, we'll hunt you down. Come Sunday, you will get an, ahem, reminder via Twitter to follow through guilt-free.
Need some reading material for your big day? Might I suggest my new book Motherhood Comes Naturally (And Other Vicious Lies)? You can read an excerpt with some more thoughts on Mother's Day here, or buy the ebook or hardcover today!
Haven't joined our Stress-Less Parenting Club yet? Go to the purple box on the right side of this page to sign up and receive our weekly newsletter.