You’ve seen them. I know you have. One of the many, many memes about why moms drink coffee. All the shirts about moms needing coffee. And of course, coffee mugs about moms needing coffee. But is it really just a stereotype? Nope! At least, not for this mama. Coffee, chocolate, and good music are how I keep sane every day (the rough days include a bit of whiskey after the kids are in bed and asleep…wine doesn’t cut it for this mama 😉 ).
That still doesn’t answer the question, “why do moms drink so much coffee?”. I can’t speak for other moms, but here are my reasons. Maybe you can relate to a few.
Teething babies
Teething is no joke. On a rough teething night, I can be up at least 10 times. Sometimes the baby just needs to be with me. All. Night. Sleeping with a wiggly, upset baby in the bed is not very restful. It’s like sleeping with a cranky, screaming octopus that constantly smacks you in the face. Then the daytime isn’t much better. Napping is a joke. There are at least 5 places to put the baby down but she only wants to be held…facing out…on your left side…and if you try to sit down, all hell breaks loose. Coffee? You bet.
Preschoolers
Y’all, everyone complains about toddlers. How busy they are, how hard they can be with tantrums. Toddlers have nothing on preschoolers. Take all that toddler energy and defiant-ness and put it in a bigger, faster body with more intelligence and a fuller vocabulary. Then, on top of that, they have discovered things like jokes and the “Mama, watch this!” And the words. Oy! The amount of words they use in a day is unreal. Thankfully, by this age, most kids seem to recognize to not bother mom until the coffee cup is in her hand.
Laundry
There are four people that live here. Based on the amount of laundry I do each week, I would assume there are more than that. What is it about laundry? I don’t mind vacuuming, cleaning the bathroom, and cooking dinner but folding and putting away laundry? Absolute torture. Coffee makes it bearable…kind of.
Commitments
I am pretty much known for saying “no” to so many things. Between two kids, homeschooling, a blog, an Etsy shop, and housework, my days are busy. I also am not the biggest fan of socializing ever. I’d rather “free time” be spent alone with a book. But all moms still tend to have a fair amount of commitments, especially as their children age. I don’t think I ever take my four year old to dance class without my travel mug in hand. Too bad the library doesn’t allow food or drink or else I’d take it there too! Where we live rurally, most things are a 10-30 minute drive. There is nothing in walking distance so a lot of our week is spend in the car. That alone requires coffee.
Teething babies, preschoolers, laundry, oh the laundry! Moms need all the #coffee! Click To TweetHusbands
Yup. I said it. Sometimes just living with another person is plain exhausting. Then you add in most wives do most the housework. I could spend my entire day cleaning the house until it shines then my husband comes home from his messy, outside job and all that work is for nothing within 5 minutes. And of course, they want attention and to actually talk (silly husbands). After a day with the kids, all I want is sleep, not to actually interact with another human. So more coffee it is so I can manage to be a halfway decent wife (we’ll aim for “good” another day 😉 ).
It’s yummy
Of course, this is one of the most important reasons! Coffee is just good. I’m a semi-coffee snob (I have a friend who is a true coffee snob so I can only consider myself semi one). I won’t touch Folgers or the like. I’m a Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts fan. I love the taste of good coffee.
Sure, not all moms drink coffee. One of my best friends never touches the stuff and I don’t know how she does it! Are you a coffee drinking mom? What are some of your reasons?
Definitely the Preschooler reason. My 4 year old is currently in the “Watch this Mommy!” stage and after a full day of working, I am tired! Coffee is the only thing that gets me through the day. Since I am the only one who drinks it (being a single mom), I got a French press for my pick-me-up in the mornings. I am definitely not a coffee snob, but I do like being able to make one cup at a time.
Cara @ Fashionably Frugal recently posted…Pumpkin Spice Bread
I love my Keurig for that reason.
Although I very seldom drink coffee now. I can identify with what you are saying and I drink coffee at one time for some of those same reasons.
I actually only drank it a few times a week before having kids. Now it is almost every day. 🙂
I can most definitely relate, especially to the commitments parts. I’m very much an introvert and enjoy my free time more so in solitude than in the company of others (and preferably with a good book)! Thanks for sharing this with us on #shinebloghop this week!
I’m the same way!
Coffee and I are like THIS (crossed fingers =)
1. handling my husband
2. handling my husband…I said that already didn’t I?
3. Cleaning the house
Then on the flip side…It’s like my yoga instructor when I’m skipping along in bloggy land.
Not a fun day in my house if I’m out of coffee and too lazy for the drive down to Starbucks. #goldcardholder #happynowlinkup
I try my hardest to never, ever run out of coffee! 😉
So relatable!
My reason: LIFE
New follower in from The Happy Now blog hop. Have a great week.
Thanks for visiting!
Julie recently posted…Homeschool Preschool for Cheap
Between, Blog, Work, Kids, and PTA, I can’t function without coffee!! If I had a choice I would drink it all day, but I limit myself to 2 cups.
I can’t do more than 1-2 cups a day or else I get horrible headaches and sometimes sick to my stomach. But frankly, I’d love to be like my dad who does a pot a day. 😉
All of this, YES!!!!! I need my coffee and chocolate!
Well, chocolate goes without saying. 😉
I used to be a non-coffee drinker. Then I got pregnant with my third while having to wake up at 4:30am to get to work on time. Now I need my daily cup (or two). I think laundry is actually why I drink wine, though!
Leslie recently posted…65 Free Last-Minute Fall and Halloween Printables
Ha! Laundry is a great reason to drink wine.
Truth!!! I drink way more coffee now than ever before. My girls are getting their 2 year molars and it is a nightmare. Thankfully we all have coffee@
Even though my son is 12 I still need lots of coffee…. my biggest reason is blogging! Great post!
Sometimes I think that the older kids get, the more coffee us moms need. 😉
Haha, loved this! I can’t drink coffee – but I make it up with all the tea-drinking I do!
And I hear you on preschoolers vs. toddlers. I have two at the moment, and oh, it’s fun 🙂
The preschooler is now 5. Not much better. 😉
Confession: I never really drank coffee until I had our third baby. That level of sleeplessness broke this mama so hard that coffee became a requirement. And it still is. Thanks so much for sharing at the #happynowlinkup!
I enjoyed coffee on occasion before my first kid. Needed it more after her. About the time she hit 3, it became a necessary part of my day. Now that I have two, my coffee consumption has definitely increased.