I Hide, You Don’t Seek

So I had these thoughts on Sunday:

Have you ever hidden from your kids in plain sight? I never have.

I lied.

We were having “one of those days” yesterday, apparently. By mid-morning, we had meltdowns, sass-a-plenty, arguments, a million questions, fake crying, dirty looks, thrown books, coloring on things which should not be colored on, and 331 trips to time out. And only part of that was from my kids.

That’s when I decided that I shouldn’t have to be the one to go hide away from everyone to get some peace. It’s my house, after all. So I sent the oldest up to her room for a quiet, no-reading, no-playing time out, and kept my fingers crossed that the youngest would find something in the playroom that she couldn’t resist. I sat in the recliner with my computer to try to get some work done.

If only for a few minutes, my plan worked. And I found a teeny bit of sanity again.

The end.

What do you do when your kids (or you) wake up in a grumpy mood? What do you do when seemingly nothing will satisfy them and you’re pretty sure that someone isn’t going to make it through the day, and you hope it’s not you? What do you do when your kids are driving you absolutely to the worst depths of crazy? Sometimes you hide.

Wanting to hide from your kids is totally normal. And “hiding” doesn’t have to be for a long time or even have to be out of sight to actually help you get some space and clear your brain.

So you desperately need some space, stat? Go hide. (Disclaimer: Don’t do anything unsafe or stupid. Hiding out of sight or for periods longer than a minute or two usually works best when there is another adult present to make sure your kids don’t burn down your house or take the opportunity to cut each other’s hair.)

Some of my favorite ways to hide from my kids?

Taking an extra-long time in the bathroom is a great one. I used to leave the door partly open so I could hear what was going on outside; then the youngest figured out how to open and close doors, so she always closes it on me. And that just cut a couple minutes off my hiding time since I can’t hear her anymore. Ugh.

Another good one is going to put in a load of laundry or doing another quick chore around the house which requires you to briefly go to another room of the house.

One of my favorites is to state that it is “family reading time” and we all sit and read our own books for a few minutes. It accomplishes brain stimulation for the kids and brain rest for me!

Sometimes I sit in the living room and do a few minutes worth of work while the kids run around and play together. Most of the time it isn’t quiet, but it helps them to be independent and find something to have fun with. In our home, our kids’ fun is our kids’ responsibility, not ours.

The moments of peace that I have gained by “hiding” from my kids have helped me and my sanity immensely.

I don’t make any apologies for needing some space from my kids. That’s totally normal. My world doesn’t revolve around my kids, nor should it. My kids need to know that adults have needs and priorities, and they don’t call the shots. Plain and simple. And when they see me doing what I need to do to be the person I need to be, they will also get the mommy that they need.

The end.

Have you ever hidden from your kids? Do you have any great ideas? Feel free to comment and share your experiences!