Elena

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The First rule of self-care is to find time for yourself. But how do you do, to juggle when you have Work and obligations in The Family offspring? Easy says Sue Elliott-Nicholls, only steal.

When my children were small I was a big supporter of the Skive . It is still The First piece of advice I would give to All Parents : try in the middle, keep everyone happy, your children, your partner, your Work , your Parents , steal a moment just For You .

And I mean, it is stealing. So often, if you have children, time is expected, to negotiate, to do a favor for a favor: "you Saturday, and I'm not going to. a lot of fuss next time out, if you want to Hang and watch the Football "

you Forget the hassles of the supermarket business, But a Skive is a sin, it is about fraud, deception and skulduggery. And That is where the joy lies.

When you leave your children in the nursery school/day mother/grandma, you are All under the impression That you go to Work , or to sort out some very important Family Business ... But they are not. You have A Love relationship with himself. Who wants to do exactly what you want to do exactly on the same day? Eat at the same place, go climbing on the same mountain and see the same movie as you?

I remember walking in the woods One Day with a friend and Our Tribe of children. You needed the Loo, had you been stung by nettles, it was a rogue sock kept sliding down in his wellington boot, and All of them were freaking out about the wasps (these are city kids).

" My Friend turned to me and sighed, "it would All be so much nicer without children. "

she was right. That was my "Eureka" moment.

So in The Following week, I Put them into The Game plan and took me into The Forest .

Sue on a swing in The Forest , When I took my children again, I felt like I was on vacation. How did you skip out on me, I hugged her and I almost wanted to thank you for the you let me go for a couple of hours. I had a delicious secret, and this couple of hours away, had Everything to me in a new and brighter light.

After That , I have committed myself to a Skive in a month, and you know what? It made me a better parent.

It can be, a walk along The River , a visit to the theatre, a walk around the shops, or even just a few hours on the sofa watching movies, The Point is, you do it only for yourself.

When I first the idea of tails suggest That people are often horrified - why should you ever have the time away from your lovely Family ? But , as time wears on, and the relentless rat-race Breakfast-Laundry-Work -stories-homework-clean-up-insomnia on rolls out, you begin to see the benefits of jumping for a couple of hours.

When the children come on The Scene , money and time are closely monitored. How do you justify the payment of a childminder, for example, if you "only" time for yourself, away from your Family ? How do you manage the guilt? But I see it as a Mental Health day, an early intervention against stress and exhaustion.

And no One needs to know.

you Take My Friend Enas - you pulled a Skive in their own house, right under the noses of your Family .

If you had a rare Day Off , Enas knew exactly how she wanted to spend it. After handing over her three-year-old about the days of the mother on the ground floor, instead of Heading Out the door, Enas slipped back upstairs and crept into bed.

Little your daughter know That while they are not played in The Living room, mom was at Work , But hiding under the blanket.

"I've just decided to hide. I closed the door, no One knew I was still in The House ," says Enas.

Family Life can be hectic, and So a new hobby, began to keep a Enas determined.

"I have listeners watching reality TV on my laptop with head," says Enas. "If someone is going to give me The Day , I'm not going to do anything, the brain requires. I just want to be horizontal. "

complications can arise when thirst or hunger Kick In - going to the toilet requires a carefully planned route, tip-toeing around the creaking floorboards.

"you can't flush the toilet, you just crawl back in the bedroom," she says. to do

"whatever you meant, is more fun. You get the adrenaline in the journey - " Am I caught?'"

Now, with a new four-month-old baby, Enas is pleased to report, she managed her first Skive , how to be a mother of two, only a couple of hours in bed, pretending to be sick, while her husband took the children to The Park . It was a little Skive , But every little bit helps.

Enas hidden in her bedroom, Elena is hidden in your car.

Elena is a single mom and running her own business which involves driving All over the country training hairdressers. After the whole day talking with people, she just wants to be alone. So she uses her time on The Road wisely.

", I say, I'm stuck in a traffic jam, But I'm really on the highway to go to services, with a Cup of coffee on My Own , because I don't want to Go Home ," she says.

"My car is my sanity, my little house, my Escape Route . It is, as you can see, A Man on the side, But what do you do to enjoy The Peace and Quiet . "

Elena 's car to your flight is The only danger, when The Phone rings. You can't answer if it's the children, in case there is something wrong.

Worse still, Elena 's children's use of FaceTime. If you see, you are sitting in a Park house, with your coffee and your shadow is on The Game . So, what makes you?

"I text you, 'Txt me, can't talk,' she says. "What you do not know will not hurt you. "

Note to self: Don't introduce FaceTime in The Family habits. It was bad enough when my husband once called me, than I had taken me from the sea for The Day and had to go to The Public toilets so he would not hear the seagulls. Add Video to the equation and life becomes even more complicated.

'It is hidden like a Love Affair - with yourself', If they were horrible enough (as I was) to Skive from school, you understand the joys of sitting in a park in The Rain , while your classmates are struggling through a cross-country running, splattered with mud and sweat.

The hysteria, as we covered ourselves in the mud before he's back to the rest of our class at the Finish Line of One of the happiest memories of my teenage School Life . We have just had in The Park in The Rain on any other day we would have absolutely miserable - But WE WERE, with cone seal.

of course, you can Skive a group. This is a different level of truancy.

When I go to One of the Parents , we had an annual appointment, my friends and I. We would go for a swim, take a Day Off from Work and spend it, and sun bathing in a pond near where we live. We brought a picnic and laughed, as we lay in the sun, jump into the cool refreshing water, imagine how everyone assumed That we were at Work .

Cool, But it's worth A year, pond-picnic-day, my husband was home with the flu. I saw him slumped on the sofa, and hesitated for a second, then kissed his sad face, and joyfully hopped through the door.

The problem was, as I drove home That evening I realized I had my dress back on Inside Out . What would he think if I Came Home from "Work " with a golden glow, irrepressible smile, bouncy hair, and a dress from the inside?

I pulled over, slid down to The Floor of The Car and fumbled with The Dress , until it's back in the right direction. Otherwise see someone else? Probably, But it was Worth It .

you can Put your feet up, My husband later told me That he knew I had to Skive the odd and he didn't blame me for a second. Enas pretty sure is That their days mother noted, when she was upstairs.

"I think I'm so much nicer to My Family , if I have a chance to see from a distance. I'm happier, it makes you happy. We are All winners," says Enas.

"is It OK to think of yourself. It's the whole mummy's martyrdom, But you don't have to give up Everything . "

'I'm happier, it makes you happy' Elena thinks of the time she spends in your car makes you a better mother.

"If I'm tired or stressed, I can make it to The Kids , And Then I didn't at the end of the Parents , I want to be," she says.

"can I time't 'mum, mum, mum, mum" All the time. I just Need time, if I me, Elena . I don't feel guilty at All . "

Who wants exactly the same thing on the same day? Now my kids are older, I carried That skill forward. I have developed. I have found there are always situations That fall Skive of aging Parents , stroppy teenagers, Work deadlines, houses, friends in Need .

We Need to stop The World and get off for a couple of hours.

Once you get over the lies and the manipulation, it is amazing how easy it is.

And how Enas says, "steal It is time, it is time That you owed. "

All photos © Sue Elliott-Nicholls, unless otherwise specified.

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Source of news: bbc.com