Vacation time! When youâre a mother, itâs easy to feel guilty about taking time for yourself. Your responsibilities towards your kids can be overwhelming, and you may worry that theyâll suffer without you.
But the act of taking a little vacation without your kids, and even your partner, is actually a positive one. (1) Known also as a âmomcation,â these types of solo holidays can work wonders for any mother. In fact, never taking one can actually be detrimental to you.
And thatâs not just us saying it â this is a fact that experts know all too well! Being a mom is a full-time job, and what job doesnât give you a few days off?
Psychologists Explain Why Moms Need To Take Vacations Without Kids
1.   Youâll Get A Break Before You Burn Out
This one goes without saying. As we said, being a mother is a full-time job, and although most mothers consider their happy, healthy children to be enough of a reward in lieu of payment, it can still get tiring. Still, thereâs no humane job in the world that would require you to work 365 days a year with no break!
Sure, you might go on trips with your whole family sometimes, but that doesnât give you the chance to take a break from that ever-so-demanding job. Think about it â is any vacation with your children really a vacation for you when you have to pack for them, keep tabs on them, and handle the eventual tantrums in a place youâre not familiar with?
Weâre not picking on family vacations here, of course. They create amazing memories to be cherished and loved for years to come. But theyâre not exactly momcation material; you need your own break alone to refuel in an environment that doesnât require you to go full parent mode every few minutes.
What many stay-at-home moms donât think about is just how much they do in a day for their children. You have to think about every single detail â clothes, food, even toilet time! Moms have to:
- Get their kids up and dressed in the morning
- Take their kids to extracurricular activities
- Wash dishes
- Do laundry
- Prepare meals
- Take on school-related responsibilities
- Pick up after them (sometimes!)
- Clean up constantly
- Diffuse arguments and tantrums
This is a lot that youâre doing in a day, and worse still, youâre expected to do them. Itâs easy to eventually get burned out if you have to do this 24/7 with no breaks and no me-time. More than one in ten of all parents actually experience high parental burnout once a week which affects their energy levels, positive thinking, and even parenting effectiveness. (1)
Taking a momcation can help prevent severe burnout, which can lead to other problems down the line: chronic stress, depression, anxiety, and more.
2.   Your Family Will Benefit
Many mothers are afraid of leaving their families alone, worrying that they simply wonât be able to function without them. But as it turns out, your family may actually benefit from your occasional momcation, and maybe not for the reasons you think! Hereâs how.
¡        It Solidifies Trust
If you have a partner you can trust â which, ideally, should go for any partner youâre committed to â then you can rest easy knowing that they can handle things at home. When you go on vacation, you might wonder if theyâre up to the task, especially if youâre the one who usually handles kid-related things … but take a deep breath and use positive thinking!
When you happily leave your children with your partner, you are showing them that you trust them. You are indicating that you know they can take care of things just fine in your absence. This will also prepare you for the likelihood of future situations that may be more high-stress where your partner will have to be in charge at home.
¡        They Will Bond
Of course, your children love your partner and their other caregivers, but when they see you the most, you have the strongest bond with them. Going on a momcation gives them a chance to bond with your partner a bit more.
On top of that, the small shift in the family dynamic while youâre gone may bring out some good in your kids. They may try to help each other out more or grow closer together since youâre not around to break up little arguments.
¡        Your Partner Will Understand What You Do
As we mentioned previously if youâre the primary child-carer, then you do a ridiculous amount of work a day â and, unfortunately, you yourself may not realize the full extent of the effort you put in. If you donât, then your partner may not, either.
A lot of what a mother does is considered an expected, given chore. When you allow your partner to take the reins for once, they get to see just how much you do. This will make them appreciate all the work you put in, and it can even improve your relationship.
3.   Youâll Remember The Person That You Are
Many mothers may become lost in their parenting job. It consumes them, becoming their entire personality. Of course, being a mother is definitely a large portion of your identity â but it should never be all of it. Donât think this describes you? Well, think about this. When was the last time that you:
- Bought something nice for yourself
- Finished a TV series or a book
- Took time for your hobbies
- Spent time pampering yourself
- Went out with friends to do something fun
- Tried something new
- Focused on achieving your own personal goals
- Put your happiness first
Chances are that youâve slowly lost yourself to motherhood. This isnât necessarily a terrible thing, but it can be saddening â and it contributes to the deep dive in positive thinking and overall happiness that happens when empty nest syndrome becomes something you have to deal with. (2)
When you travel on your own, you get to rediscover yourself. At last, youâre alone with your thoughts, free to explore your hobbies and think about the goals you have in life. You can go anywhere you want without worrying about child-friendliness. You can stay up as late as you want, watch whatever you want, and go shopping, dining, and sightseeing without the cries of children following you everywhere you go.
Remember, you donât need to go on a fancy momcation to just be with yourself and enjoy your own company. As crucial as your kids are and as central as they are to your life, you are still the only person you can never truly be apart from. Make sure youâre acquainted with yourself.
4.   Your Kids Will Grow
No one is discounting the fact that your kids will miss you when you go on vacation. Theyâre used to you being around for them constantly, so theyâll definitely feel your absence. It may take them a little while to get used to not having you around â but, even in just a short amount of time, they will grow.
To begin with, your children will gain maturity. Sure, your kids do have someone else looking after them whenever theyâre away from home (at daycare or school), but they learn a lot in the brief time youâre away. You may be surprised to come back and find them to be smarter, calmer, and much more grown-up overall!
Why does this happen? The shifting dynamic means your children have to find certain traits buried within themselves to adapt. Their leadership abilities, patience, and skills theyâve learned come to the forefront; as they practice them throughout your momcation, they get better and better at them. By the time you come home, theyâll have grown so much!
This doesnât mean that your kids are better off without you, so donât think that! What it does mean, though, is that they will be fine while youâre gone. Theyâll be able to look after themselves as your partner or other caregiver supervises them.
Plus, as selfish as it sounds, your children will gain more appreciation for you while youâre gone. Theyâll miss you, realize how much you do for them, and realize that you have a gigantic impact on their everyday lives. This means theyâll be a little easier to work with when you come home, as theyâll see your daily tasks and chores with new eyes.
5.   Youâll Grow Too, And Come Back Better
It isnât just your kids who will grow while youâre away on your momcation. Youâll grow, too. Traveling alone gives you a chance to expand your horizons as an individual, and that makes you advance in life. Youâll have the chance to see, think, and experience in new, transformative ways. Here are all the positive ways that travel can affect you: (3)
- Makes you more creative
- Allows you to transform
- Educates you on other cultures
- Helps you feel satisfied with life
- Boosts health
- Makes you more confident
- Enhances relaxation and reduces stress
- Makes you feel happy and boosts positive thinking
- Lowers the risk of mental health disorders
- Makes you stronger
- Makes you feel more human
- Allows you to focus on your self care strategies
Why doesnât this work when you take a vacation with your whole family? Well, your mind is focusing on logistics during that time. Youâre working overtime to get everything going smoothly, juggling multiple tasks at once, and focusing more on being a mother than being a traveler.
6.   Youâll Come Home Refreshed
When itâs finally time for you to come home, youâll be refreshed and ready to tackle everything. The things your family members do that were starting to feel annoying will become endearing again. Youâll see the bigger picture and appreciate your family even more for what they are.
Plus, youâll miss your children so much when youâre gone that youâll be thrilled to be back home. Youâll go from burned out to excited to get back to motherly tasks within a short momcation. Sure, getting back into the swing of things may be a challenge at first, but youâll be well-rested and ready to take it all on.
Final Thoughts On Why Moms Need To Take Vacations Without Kids
Momcations should be a staple of every motherâs year. Thereâs nothing wrong with needing a break from the hustle and bustle of life as a parent. Itâs okay to get away from it all every now and then, and when your vacation is over, youâll come home to the family you love so much!
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