Why I Love Monday Mornings

Most people dread Monday mornings. The memes start filling my Facebook feed on Sunday with jokes about it feeling like the weekend just started nine minutes ago or the face of an inconsolable toddler entitled “Monday’s coming”. I love the start of a new week. I have four loud kids and we play hard on the weekends– exploring, visiting family and friends, and just a whole lot of time together in seemingly small places where the volume is amplified. On Monday mornings three of the kids head out the door alongside my husband and my whole body exhales. I feel an instant wave of relief and relaxation pour over my body. Sure, I have a house to clean, laundry to do, and grocery shopping on the list, but it’s relatively quiet. My four-year-old daughter and I have the whole day together with very few obligations. 

Often my sister will send me a text asking if we want to come by for coffee. Yes, please. We live ten minutes away and our daughters are six weeks apart and best buddies. Having the cousins play together could not be any easier. The girls entertain themselves quietly while we drink our coffees and catch up. We’re able to sit on the couch, put our feet up, and drink our coffee while it’s still hot. Did I mention that it’s quiet? Do you know how nice it is to just be 100% you? To wear what you want, say what you want, check your phone when you want, use "adult" words when you want? We share the same parents (including the loss of our mom), relatives, city, childhood, friends, and values which make it easy to be understood and understand. We’re both mostly work-at-home moms which is another area of connection which many people don’t understand. When Monday comes around I need quiet and easy. I need to just be. I need to feel rejuvenated through rest.

After a weekend of listening to nonstop talk about American Ninja Warrior, Shopkins, who “started it”, and “I’m hungry!” my brain says “Enough!” I want time to decompress and to think about life–where I am and where I want to be. I need that mental space cleared out to rest and I need to be heard. I want to talk about the various parenting struggles we had over weekend alongside some non-parenting related topics like books we’re reading and ridiculous reality TV we’re watching. I savour that “me time” where my attention is not poured out on my kids and instead is directed inwards and towards my sister–another mom of four kids.

I’ve had my share of play dates when my kids were younger. As much as I love my friends, bringing along my wild crew was exhausting! Sure, there was the camaraderie in seeing other moms with their rambunctious bunch so I knew I wasn’t alone. Yes, my boys could expend their energy at someone else’s house with new toys and different snacks. Feeling supported and having a fun place for my kids to explore was important in those years, however, relaxation wasn’t high on the list of playdate expectations and now it is. I don’t know if it’s because I feel like I did my time with the chaos, or I’m feeling my age, but oh, do I love Monday mornings with a side of coffee and sanity.

(This piece first appeared on The Good Mother Project )