I’m a parent. I have two young daughters, and I love them with all my heart. But in the past year, I’ve learned that being a good parent doesn’t necessarily mean you’re always there for your kids. It doesn’t mean that every decision you make has to be calculated based on how it will affect them. In fact, sometimes being selfish as a parent means doing things that aren’t necessarily healthy or good for your children, things like going out drinking with friends or taking time off from work to take care of yourself when you are sick.
And yes: Sometimes those decisions will cause harm to your kids (though not all of them).
Also selfish parents short quotes helped me to understand that being a good parent means you do the best you can with what you have. It’s not about meeting some sort of impossible standard, but it’s about doing what is right for your child.
But here’s the thing: Those decisions can also be beneficial.
You can’t give if you don’t rest.
As parents, we naturally want to give our children everything they need. But if you’re not taking care of yourself first, it’s impossible for you to give them what they need.
If you’re exhausted and not rested, how can you be a supportive parent?
When I was working full-time as a teacher, my days were spent with kids until about 5pm, and then I would rush home to spend time with my own kids before going to sleep by 9pm so that I could be ready for the next day at school.
The result?
I was irritable and stressed all the time because there was no way for me to take care of myself or even enjoy spending time with those who depend on me most (my family).
But if we have enough energy and rest ourselves first, not just in our minds but also physically.
Then we can provide better service (which means more love) than ever before. It’s important that parents take care of themselves so that they can take care of their families; people don’t work well when they are tired or overwhelmed.
You are teaching them life skills by how you treat yourself.
If they see you exhausted and overwhelmed, they’ll learn that’s normal and natural.
They will then expect their own lives to be like this, which may not be such a great thing for them (or anyone).
They can’t do anything about what happened in the past if we don’t teach them how to deal with it now.
The stronger you are, the better parent you can be.
As a parent, you need to be strong. You can’t give if you don’t rest.
What are you teaching your children? Are they learning that it is okay to neglect themselves in order to take care of others? Are they learning that it’s okay for mom and dad to sacrifice their own needs for the sake of someone else’s?
I hope not. If anything, these things should be learned from us as parents. We need our kids to see us taking care of ourselves first before we can take care of them.
Being selfish is actually selfless because it means being able to go back home with more energy than when we left and therefore have more love and support available for our child (and ourselves).
Selfishness will make me a better mommy.
It is OK to take time for yourself, even in front of your kids.
It’s important to take time for yourself. It’s good for your mental health, and it will help you be a better parent. You don’t have to tell your kids that you need time for yourself, but it is important that they see you taking care of yourself.
If they see that you aren’t always available and happy to be with them all the time, then they may learn how to respect their own needs as well.
It is OK to go out by yourself sometimes without telling anyone where you are going or when you’ll be back because sometimes people need privacy in order to feel like themselves again.
Conclusion
I hope this post has given you some insight into why it’s important to take time for yourself as a parent. We all need to recharge our batteries, and if we don’t do it in healthy ways then we’re going to burn out. If you find yourself feeling guilty about being selfish or taking time for yourself, remember that it’s OK.
You are doing what is best for your family by taking care of yourself first so that when they need something from you (which will happen), then you will be able to give them everything they need without worrying about running out of energy or patience because they know how important self-care is too
