I was recently speaking to Jen at urbanmoms.ca about the importance of having other mom friends. I didn’t become a mom until past the mid-thirty mark and, before I became one I always envisioned mommy friends sitting around in a circle singing Barney songs. This was not appealing to me at all. I actually feared becoming one of "those" moms and losing my sense of self and sanity. I couldn’t stand Barney!
What I didn’t realize was that this was survival. This was mom in the trenches and the Barney songs were a means to an end. When I had my first child I went from a 90 hour work week to nothing. At least that’s what it felt like. I had no meetings. No reason to get dressed up or even have a shower, until I joined a moms’ group. These women were my life blood for the first few months of my maternity leave. And, as we got to know each other better and our babies became less dependent, we began to venture out into the real world once again. But having another new mom along for the ride reassured me that someone else was feeling as I was – thrilled to be out, afraid to be gone.
This summer has been a bit of the same. I had no friends up at the cottage. I was alone and often lonely. Since my party last weekend I have spent every day with 2 of the other moms on the lake. One night we even put all of the kids to bed at my place and stayed up chatting for hours. It was so nice to connect with other women who understood me and to know that all I need to do is reach out and there will always be someone else who can relate.
I am thrilled to have made some new friends and with every stage of my "development" as a mom I hope to have the honour of knowing more amazing women!
Emily is an urban mom to a 10 month old daughter and 3 year old son. She’ll continue to Keep It Cool throughout the summer so check back soon and please share your comments below!
