About every two weeks, I get time to myself and am a non-mom because the kids head to their Dad’s for the summer. Being a mother is a big part of my purpose
here on Earth, so the first few summers after my divorce when the kids would leave for summer, I did not know what to do with myself. I would wonder what they were doing and sit wondering what I should be doing with this free time?
I had only ever lived alone for one year out of college, and was a married mom of two by the age of 24. So my time alone while married typically consisted of two hours at the gym, grocery store run, or visit to the nail shop. So navigating during the summer without my kids was something I needed to figure out, but it forced me to figure out who Yasmin was without the title of mom and what I actually liked to do.
I have done just that, and I have come to cherish my summer weeks alone because I use it as time to practice self-care, relax, reset, and do things I want to do without having to find a sitter. During this pandemic, my alone, non-mom time has been especially important. The time alone during the summer has given me the freedom to sleep in, not cook if I do not want to, aimlessly walk in Target without being asked for something, and many other things I normally cannot do as a momma. In full transparency it took me a while to get where I am and just enjoy myself when the kids are away. However, I do enjoy myself and maximize my rest and my social calendar whether it is happy hour with girlfriends, dinner alone at my favorite restaurant, mom-cation with my cousin, shows at the Kennedy center, visits to vineyards, and so much more.
I love being a mom, but I also love my non-mom time because it allows my children to return to a refreshed and happier mom. I challenge you whether single or married to figure out ways to take time to yourself and pour into yourself, so you can pour into your children!
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