Baby Yourself, Baby

Can I have another cookie?

But I'm not tired.

I don't wanna go outside.

Vegetables are gross!

The things our kids say, am I right?  They always seem to want to choose the unhealthy choice...more candy, less sleep, more screen time, less veggies.  As parents, it's our job to teach them how to make the healthy choice and hope that one day they will grow up imitating those same decisions.  We take good care of our kids.  We make sure they get enough rest, enough fresh air, enough healthy foods, have a prayer life, and we steer them away from bad choices.  

I wouldn't even allow sugar to come close to my first baby's lips until he turned one and had a taste of his birthday cake.  I was in charge of his diet!  I made sure all the good veggies and fruits and lean proteins were the foods he ate.  At his one year old physical, I mentioned to the pediatrician that he wasn't sleeping well at night and he told me that I needed to only give him one nap a day, put him to bed early and assured me that I was in charge of his sleep schedule.  I made sure to read him books to stimulate his brain and verbal skills, took him outside to play for physical activity, and cuddled him as much as he would let me.  I babied him because he was my baby.  Although it may look different now (he's 15 and taller than me!) I still mother him because I am and will always be his mother.  I tell him to get off the screens, go to bed, provide lots of nutritious food, etc.  I love him, why wouldn't I take care of him and help him take care of himself.  The same holds true for each and every one of my children.  I love them so much and I want the absolute best for them.

While I was pregnant with Lucky #7, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes.  Immediately I gave up all sorts of foods to ensure that my body's blood sugar would remain stable and I would do no harm to the little person growing inside me.  It was hard to only eat 20 grams of carbs per meal, test my blood sugar four times a day, and visit the doctors between 2 and 4 times each week.  But, of course I did it for my baby!  I would lay down my life for him, I could certainly lay down the bread basket.

As soon as he was born, I went a little crazy eating all the forbidden foods.  I was acting like a kid!  I gained more weight after the pregnancy ended than during the pregnancy.  I'm still trying to pay for that 6 months of indulgence in the form of healthy eating and exercise.  Just the other day, it dawned on me:  

If I can live a healthy lifestyle because I love my baby, 

then I can certainly live a healthy lifestyle because I love myself.

I need to mother myself!  I need to treat myself the way I treat my kids.  I don't really love myself when I fill up on junk food or take time off from workouts.  I love the way I feel when I treat myself right.  And this isn't about achieving some unrealistic pants size or getting any semblance of my waist back.  It's about taking care of my body like I take care of my kids' bodies.  Don't forget that all of us are Somebody's child too, and even when we don't feel like loving ourselves, know that He will never stop loving us unconditionally until we can.