Is it just me or does everyone need a vacation after a vacation, and especially after the Holidays? Jeesh I am exhausted. Yes, even people who take their Nanny on holiday can find travelling with children to be at least mildly tiring. Then again, part of the problem might be that I have difficulty delegating. This is part of what my Fancy Therapist calls, “not managing my help appropriately.” In other words, Nanny #1 had a fabulous trip on the Continent. She babysat 5 (of 9!) evenings and took the girls on 2 afternoons while we were sightseeing. Mrs. Fancy slept on the floor, went through entire restaurant meals without taking a bite and found herself wearing a brand new £100 white t-shirt now decorated in tiny greasy handprints.
Why do I do this to myself? Why, oh why, did everyone on this trip take at least 1 nap a day while I gathered groceries and straightened up toys? I’m sure I know at least a few of these answers. So in the spirit of the New Year, I’m going to confess my reasons for an absence of self-preservation on holiday and open myself to suggestions about how I can make 2011 different. We can call it: let’s allow our employees to make our lives easier, not the other way around!
- · I am the consummate host. I love to throw a party and make people happy and well cared for. Even if this means I have one bite of toast all day and don’t shave my legs.
- · I cannot, as I said, effectively delegate. Partly because if I don’t do it myself, it doesn’t get done correctly. (Seriously Nannies! Can you not tell the difference between pajamas and play clothes? It isn’t helping me to fold the laundry and put it away if I have to spend 15 minutes rearranging their dresser!)
- · I bite off more than I can chew. Should I really be trying to manage the house, supervise the help, manage the girls, continue to pretend I have a career, and coddle H and plan a 10-day holiday in Italy for 4 more families in addition to my own? Um probably not.
- · And finally: I love a martyr. I love to feel like I did more than anyone and I did it better than they ever could. And the more exhausted I am at the end, the bigger and greater I feel. I’m quite sure this started early in elementary school whenever we had a group project, which turned into my project, which generally garnered endless praise from the teacher. But Jesus, this ain’t healthy.
So that’s my confession. I am going to spend the rest of the day thinking about how to make this year different. While trying to not drink too many sodas.
Yesterday’s tally: 2 diet Cokes. My teeth feel better already.
