From planned relaxation to unexpected challenges: the story of a mother's leave

Dearest gentle Jelly Bean Journal reader,

I hope you did not miss me too much, for the long awaited leave commenced, but I am back… lol. And what a journey it has been. If I’m honest, I had imagined my two weeks of leave to be something like a slow-motion montage: soft mornings, uninterrupted coffee, maybe even a full season of my favourite series devoured in one peace. A  mother can dream, right?

This was part of my leave intention I even promised myself I would finally catch up on my favourite series. Something every mom knows is almost impossible when you have little ones and a very energetic seven-year-old running around. You don’t just “watch TV,” you schedule it. Strategically.

And even then, most of the time it is not actually your time. It belongs to someone who suddenly needs juice, a lost sock, or an urgent snack that must be served immediately.

But I tell myself, my time will come. There will be a season of freedom one day. For now, I’m learning that being present in the chaos is also a kind of freedom, just one that wears pajamas and has sticky fingerprints and milk stains on it.

So anyway, the first week of leave went beautifully. It was my birthday week, so naturally all attention was on me which, honestly, I absolutely loved. I was pampered in ways I didn’t even realise I missed. I could bath in peace without someone shouting “MOMMY!” from the other room.

I could lie down and watch a movie without pausing every five minutes. And my kids and hubby truly showed up in the sweetest ways. Breakfasts were made, supper was prepared, and there was even an extra effort to keep things calm for me.

The birthday song? The sweetest I’ve heard in years. Slightly off-key, very enthusiastic, and filled with so much love it made my heart feel like it might actually burst. It was simple, but perfect in that messy-family kind of way.

I remember thinking, this is it. This is my reset. And then came week two...

Ah yes, my “true leave” week. The one where I envisioned myself in soft pajamas, hair in a messy bun, fully immersed in series marathons and snacks that I did not have to share. The kids were meant to be at school and creche, my husband at work, and I was supposed to be living my best introvert recovery life. Well… life had other plans.

Within what felt like a blink, I came down with the flu. And almost as quickly, my baby followed. Sniffles, coughing, watery eyes the whole unwelcome package arrived like an uninvited guest who refuses to leave. Suddenly my peaceful plans turned into humidifiers, tissues, warm baths, and lullabies sung in between coughing fits.

So there I was: in bed, trying to recover, while simultaneously caring for a sick baby who needed me more than ever. The doctor’s cap went on not literally, of course, but in every practical sense. Temperature checks, comfort holds, late-night soothing, and that constant mom radar that never switches off even when you are running on empty.

My series? Unwatched. My rest interrupted. My carefully planned “me-time”? Gently laughed at by the universe.

And yet, somewhere in the exhaustion, there was a quiet lesson forming.

Because even though it was not the leave I planned, it was still life. Messy, unpredictable, tender life. It reminded me that motherhood doesn’t always give us the pause we crave, but it does give us moments of deep connection even if they arrive wrapped in tissues and cough syrup.

So what has these two weeks taught me?

That rest is not always about escape. Sometimes it’s about endurance. Sometimes it’s about lying next to a sick baby at 3am, rubbing their back, and realising that this is also love in its most honest form. And sometimes, it’s about laughing at the irony of planning “me-time” and ending up in “we-need-you-time.”

And maybe, just maybe, that’s okay too.

Until next time, Jelly Bean Journal reader… I return slightly more tired, slightly more grateful, and definitely more convinced that moms don’t really take leave we just change scenery while still being on duty.

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Weekend Argus