Devoted parents try to go to every single one of their children's events. From soccer games to piano recitals, fromparent-teacher conferences to friends' birthday parties, many parents try to make it to each and every activity.
Sometimes, though, it's just not possible to get to every event, especially if you also have a full-time job and other commitments. Of course, this often makes parents feel guilty.
Kristen Hewitt tries to go to every one of her daughters' school events, but she recently got overwhelmed and couldn't make it. She felt bad for hitting the gym instead of going to her daughter's honor roll assembly, but later when she explained it to her daughter, she was surprised by her little one's response.
Instead of being disappointed that her mom didn't come to the assembly, she completely understood — and even thanked her!
Kristen knew she had to write about what happened, so she took to Facebook to share her story.
[H/T: PopSugar]
Kristen shared what happened on her Facebook page, where it got a lot of attention.
Within nine days, the post had almost 500 reactions and 39 shares.
Kristen wrote:
So I did something that some may think is selfish recently, but I really needed it.
I missed my daughter’s honor roll assembly so I could work out.
I started to feel the guilt creep in as I made this tough decision, but then I remembered ME, and how hard Thanksgiving and the week that followed was with my husband traveling.
How hard it was to deal with the tantrums that were never-ending.
How hard it was to feel 100’s of hot flashes as I am transitioning to a new healing protocol.
How hard it was to manage my anxiety, the house, the kids, the pets, and work.
And how hard it’s been to not have one single minute to myself.
I talked to her about how proud I was of her, but let her know I have to work a game tonight and needed to take care of myself this morning.
She also had her father and grandmother attending in my place.
Guess what. She understood, gave me a hug, and thanked me for all I do for her.
She also learned by example today that SELF-CARE matters.
Sometimes as parents we have to make hard decisions and show up for ourselves instead of showing up for our kids. And you know what?
It’s not selfish — it’s called self-love.
Kristen's post stirred up a lot of controversy among moms, but many supported her decision.
One woman wrote, "Good for you. You can't give what you don't have. You taught your daughter a great lesson."
Another mom wrote:
Good for you! We all reach a breaking point as moms. The best thing we can do is recognize we are heading in the wrong direction and focus on ourselves just a little bit. Mental health is just as important as physical health and if you didn’t take that much-needed time who knows, you may have just ended up with the flu and missed the next kid event. Stay strong and continue to be the best mom you can be!
What do you think of Kristen's decision to not go to her daughter's assembly?
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