Mommy Moments Mondays – Mama’s In a Mood

Being a “female” can be hard – there are lots of different emotions involved. Now, being a “female in a house full of men” is a whole different story. Something that I didn’t learn until I was married is that if a man is hungry, you don’t talk to him until he eats – because chances are pretty good he’ll be in a “mood.” If a guy is tired, you don’t talk to him until he gets some rest – because chances are pretty good he’ll be in a mood. And if a guy is both tired and hungry, save yourself the trouble and just stay away from him until he’s both fed and rested – otherwise he’ll be in a mood.

Now as a female, I can be in a mood at any random time. Whether I’m tired or hungry or frustrated because my keys are lost for the gazillionth time (you think I would have learned after the first few hundred times), I never know what will cause me to be in a “mood.”

Something my husband learned NOT to ask early in our marriage is “Are you PMS-ing?” WHOA – those are fighting words! If I wasn’t in a mood before that statement was made, I sure in the heck was in one after. Now, after almost 10 years of marriage, I’ve come to realize that when I am in my one of my moods, I just ask that I be given space or that the children don’t talk to me or whine at me or follow me around asking for things until I’m out of my mood (for the most part).

I shouldn’t just sit in my mood, using it as an excuse to be short with people – I have to actively get myself out of it. Sometimes I can do this by merely acknowledging that I’m in a mood. Other times it’s a matter of turning on some nice music, watching a funny tv show, or sitting in the bathroom with the door closed, my head in my lap, and the water running (it’s actually very relaxing). People often say that “When Mama Ain’t Happy, Nobody’s Happy.” I don’t think that needs to be the case though. We just need to recognize that everybody is entitled to be in a mood at times, but it is their responsiblity to get themselves out of it and not create a mood in those around them.

What do you do to get yourself out of a mood?