I am so so stressed right now. Honestly I have not had 5 minutes to myself since baby was born in October last year.
I am at breaking point to be honest. My eldest is 3 my youngest is 8 months.
Luckily tomorrow we are going on holiday for 5 days. I think a break will do me good. Granted the kids will be there too but we are going with all the family so hopefully they can all chip in a bit.
Anyway just a rant. It’s like a madhouse here sometimes and I just want to scream at the top of my lungs “ all of you shut the ■■■■■■■■■■
Up” but I don’t
Sorry @Qwerty. I remember those days. I used to drive to the “grocery store” aka go just around the corner from my house, park the car, and sob uncontrollably. @LilyoftheValley’s thing sounds like it’s probably healthier.
It doesn’t last forever. As the kids develop more independence, or gain access to more external supports, things get easier. The trick is to survive the part that comes first.
Hey, if you need to cry, then cry! That’s healthy too! You allowed yourself to let your guard down and process your emotions. That’s very healthy. @Ninjastar
I guess it’s helpful to do a peaceful activity of some sort after crying though to revitalize and lift your mood
Thank you. Your replies mean a lot. I know it’s just a season and yes you’re right they get more independent as they get older. Sometimes though time goes so slow. Hah
And I remember, when I was in it, reassurances did little to help in the moment. What actually would have helped was someone else doing the laundry, the dishes, washing the bottles, and at least once a week taking the kids overnight so I could sleep without the hyper vigilance.
It made me jealous of the way my parents did things. I grew up near family. Friday night, all the cousins would have a sleepover at someone’s house. So, 3 weeks a month, every parent got a night to themselves. One night a month, they had chaos. I would have appreciated that.
Oh, something I learned helped: staying off facebook/instagram. I would see other parents looking like they had it all together and feel like I was the only one struggling, like something was wrong with me specifically. I felt pressured to pretend things were going well for me, too. I later realized that we were all feeling the same way and all lying about it because we thought we were the only one struggling.
I didn’t have family helping, but I used an inexpensive daycare for 2 hours twice a week. They fed my twins (only children) lunch and then I took them home and they napped. So, I ended up with a four hour break, twice a week. I had more energy on the weekends.
I did that when they were over a year old until they were three years old. At years old, I put them in preschool which was 2 1/2 hours, twice a week.
I tried leaving them for six hours at the daycare once. I had a hard time being away from them that long. So, I didn’t do it again.
Anyway, maybe someone can give you a break in some form or fashion.
