A Woman Of No Importance

I am a devoted slave to my children. I suppose that's exactly the way it should be. I'm always there for them, to soothe scraped knees, to cuddle away nightmares, to cook countless meals, to read stories, to provide whatever they need, whenever they need it.
My kids adore me, I know they do. I'm the first person they want to see when they wake up and the last person they want to have holding them before they drift off to sleep.
But how do my kids see me? In their little minds, am I anything more to them than just a provider of toys and dinner? Do they see me as a person in my own right, with feelings and needs of my own?
Probably not, I don't remember seeing my mum as her own person when I was their age. It didn't mean I appreciated her any less, but to be perfectly honest, I don't think I fully appreciated the sacrifices my mum made for us until I became a mother myself.

However, I do think it's important to have a life of your own, even when your kids are little. I think if you treat yourself as nothing more than a devoted slave, then why shouldn't your kids see you that way?
I want to start showing my kids that there's more to me than just what I can provide as a mother. If I spend all my time running around after them and never do anything good for myself, how will they ever learn to treat me as anything other than a slave?
My motto until now has been to treat others as I'd like to be treated. Now though, I think I should start treating myself the way I'd like others to treat me.
A good friend once said to me "What you put up with, you volunteer for"
That is so true. If you put up with being no more than a servant to others, the really, you've volunteered for it, because we all have a choice.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying for one minute that I'm treated badly by my kids or anyone else. What I'm saying is that the one person who treats me like a slave is myself. By not delegating, by not asking for help, by taking on far more than I should.
The lesson for todaay is, if your kids are demanding, if you feel over worked and overwhelmed, and if you feel like a woman of no importance, look deep inside yourself and ask if you treat yourself any better. And if you don't, it's time to start.