Permission to Be...

This weekend, Ed and I gave each other our Valentine's Day presents.

Freedom.

I proposed that, in lieu of gifts, we let each other have a day all to ourselves.  No strings attached.  No guilt.  Dare I say - this was my best gift idea ever.

I tend to feel a lot of guilt when I do things for myself.  I don't think it has anything to do with the double whammy of being Irish...and raised Catholic.  I think it's just because I'm a Mom.  I could list a hundred things that I feel guilt about...but then I'd feel guilty for boring you to death.

I'm the type of person that needs "permission to be."  If I want to skip out for the day to go shopping... okay, that's not realistic.  If I want to skip out for the day to do anything BUT go shopping... I feel guilty the entire time for being away from the kids.  But if Ed says to me, "Why don't you go do something for yourself this Saturday?" it changes everything.  I can't explain it.  

Then...add on to that having a child with special needs.  I think special needs parents have a whole different level of guilt.  

Well, today - I am giving all of you a gift.  I am giving you permission to just be.  No guilt. Permission to take a break.  To ask for help.  To let your child have a break - a free day from all therapies and regimens.  To let your child skip school and go to a matinee.  To stop blaming yourself for your child's disability.  To spend the day in your pajamas.  I'm giving you permission to be...

I did a lot of nothing on my "Me Day" - long shower, errands and manicure.  To be honest, I felt like I was wasting my time - staying out because I was supposed to.  Ironically, my "Me Day" had ME missing the one's I was supposedly needing a break from!  I can't win.

Today we saw Ed off as he left for his day.  Hopefully he heard us yelling goodbye as he tore out of here!  Just kidding.  Kind of.

In the "funny how things turned out" department - today ended up being a better "Me Day" than yesterday!

(Brian wanted to take a picture of me taking a picture of him)

Gavin and I enjoyed several puppet shows - very long ones.  The best parts were Gavin's attention span...

...and Brian's vivid imagination!  

He has been cracking me up with his stories and jokes lately.  Our favorite joke with each other?  "Knock Knock"  Who's there?  "Pooch and Jimmy!"  Pooch and Jimmy who?  "Pooch your arms around me and Jimmy a kiss!!!"  (I know, I know - I'll keep my day job.)

We also had fun finger painting!

Well, Brian did anyway.

Gavin was not impressed.

It's been a great day doing a lot of nothing.  I even stayed in my pajamas all day!  

I highly recommend "Me Days" - whether you ask for permission or not.  But, for the record, "Us Days" are pretty awesome, too.

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