Michelle Obama’s Smart Tip for Moms

Michelle Obama’s Smart Tip for Moms

Michelle Obama was giving out parenting advice at a meeting with journalist moms and their kids last week…and I thought this tip titled “What Men Can Learn from Women” was right on the money:

“It started when I had Malia…and what I noticed is that my husband was still getting his workout in, almost miraculously… Instead of getting angry about that, which was my first reaction — and I did for a short period of time — I sort of thought, now, why am I mad at him? He’s doing what he needs to do, which is ordering his day so that he gets things done, and I would work around that.”

“So that was the beginning of me saying, I’ve got to do what he does. I can’t get mad at him for doing what he’s doing, I just need to figure out how to do it, and how to get the help I needed. This is when I started having the crazy early morning workouts. I got up — 4:30 in the morning — to go work out. And when I came back from the workout no one was dead. Baby was fine, everyone was happy…”

I’m not advocating waking up at 4:30 in the morning…but I agree with the First Lady 100%. Instead of resenting our husbands when our emotional/physical/spiritual needs aren’t being met, we need to find a way to restructure our lives so that our needs are satisfied. Because if mom ain’t happy, NOBODY’s happy.

6 comments

  1. I too agree in principle, but practically speaking, when a mother slips out of the house at 4:30 in the morning, who is listening for the newborn, and will take care of him if he does need someone?

    • JewishMom

      rishe, thanks for your comment! I assume that her husband was still asleep at that time, and could take care of the baby if she woke up.

  2. I was doing the same when my now 18-year old was born. I went running at 5 – 5:30 am when my husband and baby daughter were still sleeping. I just knew her schedule, she used to wake up at around 7 am, when I breast fed her and then headed out for work, while she stayed home with my parents. I wish my husband had the same discipline.

  3. I don’t know… I treasure my sleep and cannot give up a moment of it. Anything else – but not my sleep!

  4. interesting idea but in reality, I bet the Obamas had plenty of help (nanny, housekeeper, etc). A new mom should not reduce sleep for anything except a baby/child’s needs especially if there is any familial history of depression.

  5. I’ve said it before; when a couple has children, the mother’s “workload” increases many times with each new birth, while the father’s does not. In order for a woman to get in a workout, or a nap, or a manicure, or whatever ahe feels is a priority for her, she has to give up something else. There are only 24 hours in a day.

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