Hi my lovelies! I wanted to start a new series called Mommy Mondays where I discuss some mom topics that are on my mind. I want this place to be a place for all moms to share their feelings without judgment, so please drop a comment if you can relate to my ramblings!
Motherhood (well parenthood in general) can bring soooo many feels. Love, pride, frustration, exhaustion, there are so many levels to this mom game. I want to share my experiences with you all, so we can act like we are drinking a nice crisp glass or pinot grigio and chit chat.
Wellll I wanted to chat about my experience with “solo parenting”. Not to be confused with “single parenting” – Solo parenting is when your spouse or partner is out of town for a period of time and you have to do allllll the things by yourself. Single parents get the real MVP cards because this is how they operate all the freaking time. Minimal help and lots of hats to wear. After “solo parenting” for the weekend, I always have extra perspective and appreciation for single parents who do this every single day.
In everyday life, I am super lucky to have a loving and supportive partner that helps with our daughter. He takes and picks her up from daycare and spends a lot of quality time with her. He has been the “favorite parent” for the last 6 months and I am totally fine with that!
A few weekends ago, my fiancé, Richard, went away for a bachelor party. I was fresh back from being on 4 planes in 10 days, so I was SO happy to be back at home and to spend some time with my baby girl. We had a lot of fun activities planned, but I was low key worried about getting overwhelmed with all of the parenting duties.
Now that my little one is 2, she is in full-force toddler tornado mode. I wanted to share some tips on how to survive being the only parent in the household.
1. Plan activities.
Ladies, call some other ladies with kids and bring your kids over to their house! I scheduled 3 playdates with Gia, so we could get out of the house and so she could run around in bliss with other little rug rats. I made sure to plan enough things to keep us busy without getting overwhelmed with too many commitments.
2. NAP WHEN THE BABY NAPS
I repeat, NAP WHEN THE BABY NAPS. Trust me on this one. Taking care of you is so so important. I used to always power through nap time and attempt to squash my never-ending to-do list. Now I do as much as I can in the mornings (during a little TV break) or at night once Gia goes to bed. Don’t feel guilty if you can’t get the laundry or grocery shopping done. Keep your child alive and make sure you get enough rest!
3. A little TV won’t kill them
Okay this one is controversial due to the whole “less than 30 minutes of TV per day” recommendation by the American Pediatric Association or whatever they are called. Buuuttt there are exceptions for every rule.
I mean don’t know about you, but it is REALLY hard for me entertain a clingy toddler, cook chicken nuggets and fries “well-balanced meal” and clean the house at the same time. Oh, same with you? Glad I am not alone here. Enter in the magical box of puppies AKA the TV. I know TV gets a really bad rep here, BUT hear me out. If your kid watches TV for 20 minutes while you prep dinner or clean up your explosion of a living room, the world will keep on turning. I am a big fan of using it as a distraction.
3. Call the reinforcements
Feeling totally and completely overwhelmed? Have friends or family nearby? Call them and see if you can drop little tornado baby off for a few hours so you can get some shizz done or take a life-altering nap. Your body and spirit will thank you for it.
4. Cut yourself some slack
Solo parenting is hard y’all. You will make it through to the other side. Give yourself a break and don’t be so hard on yourself. I kept feeling bad about feeding my daughter chicken nuggets and fries, but I had to remind myself that I am doing the best I can. She refused to sleep on Saturday night and kept me up from 12:30am-3:30am – nearly causing me to lose my mind. Like I mentioned before, I have the MOST respect for single parents because doing this for a weekend by myself was really hard. I can’t imagine doing it for years and years. So I tip my hat to you ladies (and fellas) that do this on the regular.
5. Express your appreciation for your partner when they return.
Be sure to give your partner an extra long hug and kiss when they return home. Tell them you missed them, but DON’T get too mushy. You must have the upper hand. Kidding. Tell them they are awesome and please don’t ever leave again. I think it is important for your other half to know they are loved and were missed while they were away.
Have any great tips for “solo parenting” for a weekend or longer? Drop them below for my next adventure being a solo parent!
xo,
Simone
