Mommy time

Now that I have spent a year devoting all my time to my precious Oscar, I think it might be time for me to take a teensy tiny bit of time off for good behavior.  I just don’t know how to go about doing that without feeling guilty.  Since adopting Oscar I’ve erred on the side of seting my “mommy time” at zero minutes per year – oops, sorry, I did get a massage while we were in Vietnam and hike in Bali, so it’s more like 120 minutes this past year.  Either way, I’m thinking that might be too few. 

My dilemma is compounded by the fact that I already feel somewhat guilty about working and not staying home with the little guy.  Not that I actually have a choice, given my status as a single mother, but I’m a mom, so the guilt remains.  Note that I do not feel guilty that he has a really comfortable life in a beautiful house with more food and toys than he could ever wish for (maybe not the toys, but you know what I mean).  But I do realize that the most important thing is to have his mother around.  Having said that, it’s become clear to me this past month, that having his mom around in a good state of mind is probably just as important. 

So, moms out there.  How do you strike the balance?  How much mommy time is acceptable?  What is a reasonable amount of time to spend away from your child for non-work reasons?  I know there are no hard and fast rules, but I’d love to hear your thoughts.

from my last hike.

March 23, 2009 Posted by Oscar and Etta's mom | Parenting | 2 Comments