The Most Powerful Force in the World. . .

First things first - for those of you checking this blog for health updates, my ultrasound came back completely normal. I now start taking Actigall (cue trumpets: Da-Da-Da-Dah!!!) and see how things are in a month. Thank you all for praying for me - please continue!

Okay back to the most POWERFUL force in the world. . . What could it be, you ask?

"Love!" Think the romantics.

"Lust!" Say the realists.

"Kryptonite!" Say the folks a few cards shy of a deck.

No! None of these! All the mothers in the world, shout it out together: "It's Mommy Guilt!!!"

Yes. Today I am suffering from Mommy Guilt. Why? What awful thing did I do today? Beat my kids? No. Send them to school without benefit of a good breakfast, coat, or washed face? No. Here it is - my confession - I Took A NAP! That's right, after the school bus left with my little darlings, I went back inside, ate breakfast, read the paper, and headed back to bed.

Now all of you guys are scratching your head, going, "So what?" Well, see, I am a lot less productive when I sleep. Mind you, I know that a well-rested mother is better for my kids and all that, and it's not the actual napping that induces the guilt - It's the time away from doing things for my family.

This is mystifying to me. Why do we do this to ourselves? How many of us want our spouses to work 24 hours a day? How many times do I tell Jerry he's working too much? Why then do I feel guilty if I don't work on something to benefit my family every minute of every day? It's not because anyone else is pressuring me to do so. Jerry often tells me to take time for myself, especially when the girls are in school, because let's face it, when they are here, they are pretty demanding. So, why do I feel guilty for taking a nap / going shopping for myself / reading a book / scrapbooking?

Perhaps it's the early mothering experience that gets us into this mindset. With the feeding, changing, and care that infants and toddlers need, you have your ultimate 24/7 job, with the most annoying pager ever - "WAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" By the time they head off to school, you just can no longer imagine doing anything else, even though you've been dreaming about it for years by then. Oh well. Another of motherhoods ironies.

Well, I've gotta run. Now that I've blogged, I've spent another 30 minutes away from my chores! Oh, the agony! :-P