I became selfish—and for the first time in my life, I felt truly happy!
A Life Devoted to Family
My name is Natalie, I’m 42 years old, married with two grown sons.
This is the story of a woman who lived her entire life for others but suddenly realized she had to say, “Enough!”
I got married at 19, and from then on, my life belonged to my family.
While my friends were out partying, enjoying university life, I was rocking a pram, doing laundry, cleaning the house, and studying for exams at night, as I was a part-time student.
My grandmother warned me:
“You can’t carry so much on your shoulders; you’ll break.”
But I was stubborn and determined to prove her wrong.
And I managed.
I had my second son, earned a degree, worked, and looked after my husband and children, forgetting about myself.
But I never complained.
Three Men at Home—and Everything on Me
I loved my men, so I put up with everything.
They left their things everywhere, left dishes on the table, forgot to turn off the cooker, and never wondered who cleaned, laundered, or cared for them.
As if it was solely my duty to make their lives comfortable.
But I loved them.
So, I kept quiet and continued to take care of them.
Until one day, I realized they simply took my efforts for granted.
It didn’t matter to them if I was exhausted, as long as dinner was on the table and a clean shirt was hanging in the wardrobe.
They didn’t realize I wasn’t their maid, but a woman who wanted to live, too.
And one day, I had enough.
I Escaped to the Theatre
It was a typical winter day.
I came home from work, and as always, the place was a mess.
“That’s it!” I said to myself. “No more!”
I turned around and left the house.
I caught a bus to town, bought a ticket to the theatre.
For the first time in many years, I did something just for me.
On the way back, I saw dozens of missed calls from my husband and sons.
I turned off my phone and headed home with a smile.
When I returned, they bombarded me with questions:
“Where have you been? Why didn’t you tell us? Why isn’t dinner ready?”
I calmly replied:
“You’re adults. You’ll figure it out. I’m going to live for myself now.”
I Changed—and I Loved It
And I kept my word.
From that day on, I stopped doing their laundry, cooking, cleaning up, ironing shirts.
Let them learn to do it themselves.
I remembered what it felt like to live for myself.
I bought myself beautiful clothes instead of another saucepan or dish towel.
I booked appointments for a manicure, a haircut, and joined a gym.
I started meeting up with friends, strolling around town, taking trips out of the city.
And you know what?
I loved it!
At first, my husband and sons couldn’t believe I had changed.
They thought I was just being difficult and would soon return to my old routine.
But when they ran out of clean clothes and there was no food in the fridge, they quickly learned how to use the washing machine, cooker, and iron.
And I suddenly realized:
How wonderful it is to be selfish!
I just wish I’d realized it sooner.
