This week Ellyn and I attended our second Mom and baby yoga class. It’s a new challenge to balance practice and baby care.
I knew going in that Ellyn would want to nap part way through. I tried hard to get her to sleep – bouncing, walking, feeding. Eventually it became apparent she wasn’t going to nap and was starting to get quite cranky. At that point, I needed to decide if I’d leave to allow her to nap or push through.
Part of me just wanted to throw my hands up and head home. Keep her on her usual schedule and not deal with her being cranky. I’d just be giving up my yoga practice, right.
I decided I needed this though. That I was going to get as much of the 75 minutes of class on my mat as I could.
So I balanced between keeping Ellyn happy enough to get through the class and continue doing yoga. Luckily I had a few focused minutes when our lovely teacher held her and walked her around.
Making this decision was about shifting the teeter totter back ever so slightly to putting myself first. Trying to ignore the parenting guilt as I did it.
Most of the time my daughter’s needs take priority over everything. We’ve surrendered, as parents, to this time being about her.
However, we need to remember that every now and again we have to put ourselves ahead of our little ones. Whether it’s having a nap delayed while we do something that helps to fill our own cup or letting them cry for a few minutes on their own while we take a few quiet breaths on a tough day, these choices can help us in the long run.
As long as we aren’t doing any harm to them taking that 20% can make us a better parent and partner. It helps to sustain us physically and mentally for the joyful marathon that is parenting.
Being a Force for Good 