Taking Care of You

So today I got the magazine American Baby in the mail for some reason. I was going through it and there was an article entitled, "Taking Care of You." The whole article talks about the importance of taking time for yourself even though you have kids. I was kind of floored when I read this article. I was thinking, "Shouldn't this go without saying?" Am I wrong in thinking that sometimes you need to put yourself first as a parent? I guess it just comes with my upbringing. My mom used to hate for us to make a big deal out of mother's day because she said one or two days during the year she would need a "mother's day." Those usually came after my mom got fed up with my sister and me fighting all the time and ended with my mom storming out the door saying, "I'm running away for the day." I thought nothing of it. Then, I read this article about a mom who felt GUILTY for taking a small amount of time for herself. I really hope that I am not one of those moms. I want to and know that I need to put myself first in a number of things. I have made the decision already. I know that I need my 10 minutes to take a shower and that my baby probably won't die from crying for a few of those minutes while I do take a shower. I know that I need my scripture time and that my husband would LOVE to spend a few minutes with the baby while I do that. I know also that eventually I too will have to take a "mother's day" and I don't want to feel guilty about just needing a break.

I guess my question is the same old thing, "What is this world coming to?!" What is this world coming to that moms can't take a few minutes each day just for themselves? Are fathers really becoming that hands off? I am grateful that, for now, Ralph wants to take an active role in the raising of our children. He talks all the time about playing with them and bathing them, and changing their diapers, and feeding them if I need to be gone for more than a couple of hours. I find that refreshing. Raising the kids shouldn't be left to one person but should be a team effort. For all of you dads out there, I hope you will take an active role in your child's life. A mom can only do so much you know. However, I could be totally wrong on this. What do you think about a mom taking time for herself? Do you take time for yourself each day? If not, how could you get your "you time?"