I sometimes ask my(introvert)self what the hell I was thinking when I decided having a big family was a good idea. All the noise. All the communication. It can be a lot for people who enjoy silence! It's one of the reasons I never liked parties. You see, as affectionate and sentimental as I am with my kids, I often feel like my head is spinning and my skin is crawling by the end of the day. Constantly hearing "mom, mommy, MOM!" and constantly nursing, among other things, is tiring at best, shamefully frustrating at worst. When I was a new mom, I used to cringe at the phrase "me time", thinking it more like a selfish getaway. Now, I realize, that time is incredibly important, especially to people prone to overstimulation or whose energy is depleted by constant interaction. I soon realized that time alone helps you reflect and recharge, so you can be more present with your kids. Take a bath, read a book, binge on Netflix. So, while mantras like "this too shall pass" and "babies don't keep" certainly help and keep things in perspective (super helpful during midnight nursing sessions), it is also OKAY to realize that your time, with just YOU, is valuable and makes you a GOOD parent. So before you go eat a pound of chocolate, scream in a pillow, or buy everything at Target-realize that Mama/Dada Bear needs to hibernate, especially if you are an introvert.
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