The Journey of Parenthood…

How Babywise Allows Me to Have a Life Outside of Motherhood

So often in today’s culture it seems like moms are viewed as martyrs.

They sacrifice their own joy, their personal goals, their sleep, their relationships, their wardrobe, their time, and so on and so on for their kids.

Many times it’s almost worn as a badge of honor. Something to be bragged about.

I have personally received lots of negative backlash for traveling with my husband {gasp!} without our children.

I get comment after comment about how do I possibly find the time to get myself ready each day.

I get told I’m so lucky {insert cringe here} that my kids sleep so I’m able to be well-rested.

All fellow Babywise Mama’s know: it’s not luck.  Babywise and life outside motherhood are fully compatible.

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Babywise and Motherhood

When people talk about Babywise the benefits always include how well babies sleep, how happy they are, how content, how well behaved, etc.

What often isn’t mentioned as a benefit of Babywise? How it benefits THE MOM. Babywise impacts motherhood in some really awesome ways!

While parenting is my passion and I’m so thankful for the name “Mom,” I’m also very much still in love with my name “Emily.”

And I’m also pretty passionate about staying true to her. And guess what?

It’s possible to be BOTH Mom and Emily and to feel content in BOTH roles.

Here is how Babywise has allowed me to have a LIFE outside of Motherhood:

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It Gives Me Sleep

As a mom we all want our babies to sleep. We know the benefits. We know they need it. We see how they behave better, eat better, and are overall happier when they get sleep.

But then? So often we neglect to make sure we are sleeping.

A great benefit of having my children on a sleep schedule and routine is that I KNOW they will be asleep at night.

In their own beds.

At an early bedtime.

And they will STAY asleep ALL NIGHT.

I’m able to go to bed at a decent hour and get good QUALITY sleep for myself.

So I can wake up feeling refreshed, rejuvenated and ready to face the day!

I also have the benefit of knowing my kids will have a nap (or naps depending on their ages) every single day.

I know they will also have that nap in their beds, at a set time, and will SLEEP during that nap.

When I have a new baby, or a later night, or feel sick, or just WANT to nap. I can! I can set aside their nap time to also be my nap time. 

Sleep makes for happy babies… and happy mommies!

It Gives Me Quality Time With My Husband

We’ve all seen marriages fall apart. We hear how so-and-sos marriage went downhill after having kids. We know the strains raising children can put on a marriage.

It’s also easy to get so wrapped up in our roles as moms that we neglect our roles as wives.

Babywise kids? They sleep. And they sleep well. And that allows free time for Mommy and Daddy.

We are able to put the kids to bed at night and have a dinner date together in the dining room.

We’re able to have our favorite shows we enjoy watching. We’re able to hire a sitter to sit while the kids sleep so we can go on a date.

Our kids also stay in their own beds. All night.

So guess what? That bed? It’s OURS. And ONLY ours. We can enjoy each other without ever having to worry about “little eyes” peeping in.

We get our quality time and are able to stay connected with each other while raising our children.

It Allows Me to Pursue Friendships

Friendships offer us a chance to laugh, connect on a deeper level with other moms who “get it,” to relax and forget about the many pressures motherhood can bring, even with Babywise. (Here’s a post I wrote on the value of your tribe).

New friends are always shocked and in awe when they are invited to an event at my home at 7:30 and all four of my kids are in the bed for the night asleep!

I’m able to host fun girl’s nights with friends and I’m also able to plan outings to go out without worrying about a child “needing me” to fall asleep or to feed them in the night or that they will wake up and have some sort of other issues.

I’m also able to have playdates with other friends and their children without worries about a cranky child.

I can arrange plans around my kids’ sleep schedules and know they will be well-rested with full bellies and ready to play!

I’m able to truly GO and DO and RELAX with my friends. I’m able to pour into those friendships. Make memories. Bond. And just have FUN!

It Allows Me to Travel

Many times I hear about moms who have never left their children with a caregiver.

Moms who never leave for an overnight stay without their children.

While that’s a personal choice, and it’s not wrong at all to not want to travel away from home, travel is something I love and especially something my husband and I love doing together!

Having our children on a set routine makes it EASY for others to take care of them.

My in-laws love keeping our kids and are always commenting on how easy it is to have them because they all sleep so well and because they have a schedule to follow!

Getting away, even just for a night, allows my husband and I to really reconnect in a way that we’re not able to do as easily during a quick dinner out or going to see a movie together.

We love seeing the world and having those experiences together and it’s also so great for our kids to see that Mommy and Daddy put each other first and enjoy each other’s company! (I wrote this post on tips for traveling without kids!)

My husband is also great about being a hands-on dad and encourages me to take girl’s trips with friends.

Having our kids on that routine also makes it easy when one of us is away. We both are on the same page with what they need and are able to trade off with no issues.

It Gives Me Time To Get Ready

It may sound silly but when I get ready for the day, I have a more productive and just HAPPIER day.

I feel good about myself when I have my hair fixed, makeup applied, and am wearing a cute outfit.

I know many mamas who rock out some yoga pants on the daily and that’s great! Do you!

But for me? I just like to get ready and having my kids on a set routine allows me to do that very easily.

I know my kids will all wake up at a set time each morning.

Since I’m so well rested at night I can easily set my alarm for 20 minutes or so before they wake up so I’m able to get up and get ready myself.

I’m also able to do things in the evenings like work out, paint my nails, and even get my husband to spray tan me (ha!) since my children go to bed early and sleep so soundly.

Taking care of my appearance is something that I value and allows me to stay connected to who I am outside of “Mom” and I love that having my children on a consistent daily routine allows me that time each day!

It Gives Me Time For Other Passions

I have always dreamed of being a mother. I love my role as a parent and I wouldn’t trade it for the world.

However, I also always dreamed of becoming an author. I love writing and I have been blogging for almost 10 years now. It’s an outlet for me, a hobby, as well as a side hustle.

While I never intended to blog for income, it’s SO nice having that extra spending money and I am able to use nap time each day as my “me time” to pour into blogging and other projects I enjoy.

As my children grow up it’s comforting to know that I am still pouring into other areas of my life that interest me.

I know that when they leave the nest I will still have passions to pursue.

I will still have things I enjoy and will be able to fully support them spreading their wings because I will be connected with who I am and not have clung to them for all of my fulfillment.

Babywise has gifted my children with the gift of sleep.

And it has gifted me with the gift of staying connected to ME. I love that I have the freedom to pursue other passions, make new friendships, and deepen my bond with my husband.

So you see? Babywise means you still get to have a life outside of motherhood… and everyone benefits!

Looking for more on Babywise? Be sure to visit my Babywise Page!

Also be sure to follow me on Instagram to stay up to date on all the fun things being a Babywise Mama gives our family the freedom to do 😉

Be sure to visit all of the fellow Babywise Friendly Blog Networks bloggers today:

Emily Parker
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1 Comment

  1. Derek McDoogle
    August 16, 2019 / 10:44 am

    I found it interesting when you said that one of the benefits of babywise is that parents get to sleep too. My wife is pregnant and she is worried about how she will deal with a newborn. Thanks for sharing your experience, I’m sure it will help my wife realize that she will still have time to rest.

    Reply

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