All I Really Want for Mother’s Day is a Break

I love my kids enough to kill and die for them. They are even better than ice cream — and this is coming from someone who considers Ben & Jerry part of the family. Nothing in this world brings me more joy than when my blue-eyed baby boy grins from ear to ear displaying his four teeth and fat cheeks, or my three-year-old running up on all fours to lick me while barking like a puppy. (Yes, really.) Watching my almost five-year-old learn how to spell his name is incredible and fills me with more pride than even seems reasonable. I wouldn’t trade these days of chubby arms and tiny feet for anything in the world. But I am tired.

My life is a perpetual fog of tiredness that doesn’t ever seem to lift. So when my husband asked what I wanted for Mother’s Day I knew my answer right away: a day off.  I love chocolate, flowers, homemade cards, macaroni art, and other such extravagant gestures. A necklace made from my kids’ art sounds cool. I’m happy to add a new Funko Pop character to my collection, and breakfast in bed would be swell. But all I really want is a break. I work hard. We all do. Whether you stay at home full-time, juggle family with a career, or some combination of the two, we all need a little time off. A weekend away. A single day to ourselves. Fifteen uninterrupted minutes in the shower or five minutes to drink our coffee while it’s still hot.

Personally, I’d like to sit in my house alone, watching whatever I want on our 4K TV without worrying if my kids are going to burst into the room the moment my detective show cuts to a shot of a bloody corpse (in high def!) Having a night all to myself in a boutique hotel downtown doesn’t sound too bad either. I’m not sure if I’ll actually get either of those things for Mother’s Day this year, but I do know I will drink a hot cup of coffee — maybe even someplace quiet — and all diaper duties will be delegated to daddy. I’ve got no #momguilt over it. Not one iota. And neither should you. You work hard, and everybody needs a break.

Being a mom is like eating ice-cream. It’s delicious and it makes life special, but too much of it will kill you. So, this year if your significant other asks you what you want for Mother’s Day skip the coy, “I don’t know.” Tell him you want two hotel rooms downtown. One for you and one for me😜