MOMVERSATION MONDAY!!!: The New Mom Excuse: What's Its Shelf Life?

It's Momversation Monday!!

And we have someone new on panel today! Meet Jennifer Brandt, Managing Editor of Parents Ask and author of Perfectly Disheveled. Jennifer wanted to talk today about the "new mom" excuses.

You know what they are...

Someone knocks at your door at noon your hair is a disaster, you are STILL in your PJs, you haven't showered in days and you still have that spare tire from the day your child was born. You shrug it off and say "I'm a new mom!". Seconds later your two and a half year old runs into the room.

So what's your excuse now? And what's the expiry date on that "new mom" excuse?

I've used that excuse. I had to stop using that excuse when my son was two and I started to work again. That was my wakeup call. I needed to get dressed, showered and put my best clothes on, there was a dress code. Also being a health consultant helped with my thirty pound weight loss. I needed to practice what I preached!

But then I got pregnant with my second child and I reverted back to the "new mom" excuse. Because, technically, I was a new mom again!

Now that my girl is two and a half I really have no excuses do I? Kind of funny since as I was watching this episode, the package of workout DVDs I purchased came in the mail. I think both were big hints!

We all use the new mom excuse! No matter how old the child is. It's easier to use the excuse at the end of the day when the treadmill is staring at you and you are exhausted. The reason why you didn't shower three days in a row. The reason why there is still puke in your hair and clothes when you get into your car to go the store and never bothered to look in a mirror.

For me it's easier to care for others rather than myself. And even with the example of work, that wasn't even a choice to do it for myself, it was the choice of going back to work.

And I believe it's OK to use the "new mom" excuse EXCEPT for paranoid behaviours. As for the example Jennifer and Daphne Brogdon of Coolmom.com were talking about when Jennifer's friend who used the excuse for not being able to hire a nanny. That's not a "new mom" excuse. Call it like it is! That's an " I can't trust anyone with my child" excuse.

The shelf life of the "new mom" excuse depends on the mom. I believe when you are ready to put some focus back on yourself, you and only you can find that time that is right for you. Every situation is different.

Do you use the "new mom" excuse? And how long have you been using it?