I’m not going to say anything Earth shattering today.

Hold back your shock and awe, I know.

But really, we are constantly being told by someone that we need to “take care of ourselves” and “take time for ourselves”.  Surely, I cannot be the first person to give you this message.

And yet, it’s worth repeating:

It’s OK to spend time alone.

In fact, you should spend time alone.

Right now I have the, um, opportunity (because that’s what we’re going to call the fact that my husband and I are currently switching rather than sharing the house and parenting duties right now) to spend quite a bit of time alone.  I spent this past weekend holed up in a hotel room on the beach, completely alone for about 36 hours.

And it was awesome.

More than awesome.

It gave me a sense of peace and calm that I don’t experience near frequently enough between the kids, the job, the marriage, the house, the family, the bills, the blah blah blah you get my point.

I think I went a full 24 hours without saying a single word out loud.  The silence was better than golden.  It was healing.

But more importantly, when Sunday rolled around I was not only eager to see my children again - I was better prepared.  My patience levels had been restored to an all time high, and my confidence in my own decision making abilities was through the roof.  A confident parent is a better parent. A patient parent is a child’s dream (or nightmare, depending on the situation).

And once again I was reminded of the value of alone time.

I do this constantly.  I burn the candle at both ends until I can barely take another step, and then I retreat for a weekend to refuel.  Because I am a fast learner. However, my recent “situation” has helped me to see the value in small bites of alone time at more regular intervals - and the difference in my household and my relationship with my kids has been astounding.

If you take care of yourself regularly, you’re much less likely to get to that crash and burn point.  And, you’ll keep a more consistent tone of peace and harmony in your household.

(Someone tell me I’m not the only crazy woman who battles this, OK?)

My point is simply this:

Take time.

Regularly.

Maybe it’s an hour a day where you sneak off and have lunch alone in a quiet park.  Maybe it’s a Sunday afternoon of grocery shopping completely alone.  Perhaps you can find time after the kids are in bed at night to sit and be still with your thoughts and a good book.

Make the time.

Your children will thank you for it.

(OK, that’s a lie.  They won’t thank you or even notice.  But I’ll bet you $20 that you’ll notice that this whole working mom gig is a lot easier to handle.)

(I’m not really betting you $20.  I’m pretty sure that’s illegal.)