Life often moves at such a fast pace, that we struggle to differentiate between what has changed and what has not. Sometimes we are so consumed with moving forward, we forget the importance of letting some things remain the same.

Yesterday, I was watching a television series that I enjoyed when I was 16 years old. Although I absolutely love the life that I have now, the series brought me back to a time when I didn’t have the kids; and watching it made me laugh and smile just as it did back then. Doing so reinstated my identity as a person, not just as a parent; it served as a reminder that parts of me still haven’t changed.

Because, often, when we become parents, we devote our lives to our children so much so that we neglect ourselves in the process. The love we feel for our kids is multiplied, whilst the concern we have for ourselves takes a backseat. Although this proves to be a great gift to our children, we must try not to forget who we are.

Whether it be taking the time out to read a book, or watching a movie that makes us laugh; it is important for us to try and enjoy things the way we always did. It can be difficult to find this time out for ourselves; but we need to do it because after all the work we have put into our children, we mostly definitely do deserve it.

Thuy Le (formerly known as Thuy Yau) is a freelance writer and Youth Work graduate living in Perth, Australia. She loves to share her own personal experiences about overcoming adversity, as she believes that human beings are more capable than they realise. She writes to make a positive difference in the world and to inspire others to learn from themselves and their own experiences. Her writing has been discussed on radio, won writing contests, appeared on The Huffington Post UK and major Australian sites such as news.com.au, SMH, Kidspot and Essential Kids. She has just completed her first book – a memoir - and is on the search for a publisher.