It’s been a whirlwind last couple days and OMG you guys, am I feeling the exhaustion of traveling this week. Even though I felt like I had spent more time being on planes and traveling than I did while I was actually in the city of Paris, it was totally worth it because I came home to my beautiful daughter Collette, who I missed like crazy while I was gone.
Traveling without Collette is hard on me. I hate leaving her! Seriously, the first day while I was in Paris, I couldn’t even enjoy myself because all I could think about was Collette. I was crying, having minor panic attacks, and just felt plain HORRIBLE for leaving her. This got me thinking — is it normal to have this type of mommy guilt when traveling?
As much as it kills me leaving my daughter when I have to travel for work, my friends actually reminded me that hey, it’s okay to enjoy yourself once in awhile — we’re only human! And while I was missing Collette the entire time I was there, I realized that moms need a little “me” time, too. Especially when you’re out of town and can’t physically be with your baby — you just have to learn to enjoy yourself. I definitely learned the hard way, but I think that we’ve all been through this type of guilt at one time or another!
I’ve found that technology can really help bridge that gap of not being with your child. It’s crazy that with things like Facetime or Snapchat, where we can see our loved ones and actually interact with them, have just been developed over the last 5-years or so. Take advantage of these technologies! On top of video-calling, my mother-in-law and mom always send me photos and give me updates on everything Collette’s doing. Having a strong support system at home definitely eases my mind a bit more!
I’m gonna be completely honest with you here: I love being a working mom. I love working, I love my company. But the keyword there is MOM. I love being a mother! And I’ve always thought, why can’t you be both? Why can’t you have it all? Well, I think you can; it just depends on what the word “all” means to you. Sometimes you can give 100% to your children and nothing to work, sometimes it’s 50/50, and a lot of times, you have to make sacrifices that affect both. But I’m learning that it’s okay to do all of that!
What are some ways that you all deal with mommy guilt? Let me know in the comments below!
