When mom's battery is low

On Monday, I left work in a good mood, picked up my kids, and told them I was thinking of taking them to see Wicked this week. Said maybe we should watch the Wizard of Oz that night.

But between coming home to a mess, making dinner nobody wanted, and having to ask them repeatedly to pick up their clothes and put dishes in the dishwasher, I lost my patience, cancelled movie night, and just wanted everyone to go to bed. 

I thought about how quickly I could go from “fun mom” to “I don’t want to be a mom today.” 

My kids don’t seem to understand how their actions (or inactions) contribute to the build up of tension that I literally feel coursing through my veins and creating knots in my neck and shoulders. 

Failing to put your dirty socks in the hamper might seem like a minor infraction, but in motherhood, these little annoyances quickly add up to complete and utter overwhelm.

Later that night, I sat my kids down and explained it to them like this: 

“Moms are like iPads. We have batteries. When our batteries are full, we have time to play and do fun things. But throughout the day, our battery gets depleted. Every time I see a mess, ask you to clean up and you ignore me, have to break up a fight, or feel like I can’t hear my own self think, my battery gets drained a little more. When it reaches a certain level, I don’t have energy and all I want to do is go to bed. I need you to understand what drains versus charges my battery and to be more helpful with keeping it charged.” 

I use the analogy of needing to recharge your battery all the time with clients. 

And it’s a good one to keep in mind this week especially, as tension may be higher due to the added stress of travel, hosting, or spending time with extended family during the Thanksgiving holiday. 

What can you do to recharge your battery this week? And if yours is feeling especially low, consider having a similar conversation with your family so they can help you to recharge. 🥰

If you need help finding ways to recharge get in touch or check out my Empowered Motherhood course.