When you work from home and the chores never seem to end, it’s easy to forget yourself. I don’t go to the salon anymore, I don’t get my nails done, and I only buy new clothes for special occasions. The days slip by between work and responsibilities, and I feel like I’m losing touch with my own joy.
And then I stop and ask myself: am I setting a good example for my daughters?
I remember my mother. After a long day at work, she’d come home and start cleaning, cooking, folding laundry. I never saw her go to the hairdresser or get her nails done just because she wanted to. Everything had to have a purpose, everything was for others, never for herself. And without meaning to, I think I copied that pattern.
But there’s something else that weighs on me: in our family, the chores aren’t shared. Cleaning, cooking, laundry — they all fall on my shoulders. And no matter how hard I try to do everything, I end up tired, frustrated, joyless, and out of time. It’s not a balanced relationship, and it’s not a healthy example for my girls.
So I wonder: what will they learn if they always see me sacrificing myself, always putting myself last? That women are supposed to carry all the weight? That it’s normal for others not to pull their share?
That’s not what I want.
I want to break the circle. I want to show them it’s okay to pamper ourselves for no reason, to take care of ourselves, to ask for help, and to set boundaries. That our worth isn’t measured only by how much we do for others, but also by how well we live in balance and mutual respect.
So today I’m taking a small step for myself — maybe it’s getting my nails done, maybe it’s reading a book, maybe it’s just having a hot cup of tea in peace. But I’m also taking a step for us, as a family: I’m asking for help, for involvement, for teamwork.
Because every small act of self-love is a gift not only to myself, but to my daughters — a living example that life deserves to be lived beautifully, sharing both burdens and joys.
It’s never too late to break the circle. And sometimes, courage doesn’t mean taking on more — it means saying, “I can’t do it all alone anymore.”