Once a woman becomes a mother, it is no longer about just herself. She now has another life to care for and prioritize.
As a result, visits to the salon are reduced. The money that were once spent on clothing and beauty products now goes to milk and diapers.
Or at least that’s what most people think a mother’s life should be.
Siobhan Rennie begs to differ. In her Mama Mia article, the mother-of-two recalls the moment she’s decided to get a botox.
Her babies are aged two and under, she says. Between her husband and her, only one of them earns a steady income for two and a half years, and last week she spent a hundred couple of dollars for a botox.
“A waste of money you say? How selfish of me? What right do I have to spend our hard-earned money on something as frivolous as that?” she asks. “I know some of you are thinking something along those lines. And you know what? I don’t give a f*ck.”
Between being a stay-at-home mom, freelance writer and blogger, she always has her kids around the house, describing it as a “constant juggle.”
Her husband and she work hard for their money, Siobhan says, puhsing themselves to give their children the best life possible.
However, in order to be a good mother, she strongly believes that she needs to feel good herself. Not only that, she needs to feel good within and about herself.
After her body being through so much in the last two and a half years, getting pregnant twice in that period, she’s also been mentally exhausted. Despite all that, she says wouldn’t change anything.
“But after having such a long stretch of being pregnant, post partum, breastfeeding, pregnant again, post partum again and yet more breastfeeding, I’m only just now starting to get a bit of ‘me time’ back.
“I’ve learned, the hard way, that I need to look after myself as well, so that I can take care of my family the best I can. I try to exercise when I can. I eat well, but also have a decent Kit Kat and red wine habit (mmmm…)”
She then describes her beauty routine as “sad.” She doesn’t use expensive creams, doesn’t go to the salon on a regular basis. Her hair had returned to its natural color. She has also abandoned her gym membership.
And on her forehead there are now deep worry lines that are bothering her.
“We’re heading overseas next week, our first trip overseas as a family and a very belated honeymoon of sorts for my husband and I,” Siobhan says. “And I wanted to feel good and look good for it.
Yes, it may be vain, she agrees, and her husband thinks she’s beautiful even without botox, but the procedure makes her feel better about herself. Most importantly, moms deserve to be treated to some “me time” for their own sanity.
“I would never judge another mum for spending money on herself or taking some much needed time out—whether it’s a gym membership, a facial or massage, personal training or a weekend away with the girls, it keeps us sane and we should never feel guilty about indulging in it.
“We moms get so caught up in looking after our kids that we neglect our own health. We need to make ourselves a priority.”