The Mommy Club

Becoming a mother is like you're now a member of the "Mommy Club".

When I am out in public and see other mothers I can instantly relate. Just yesterday I saw a mom breastfeeding in the waiting area of a restaurant. She was doing it so well! She had a pretty scarf wrapped around her son's head and was very discreet. I definitely noticed her.  I admire mothers who can breastfeed in public and do it well. 

I also noticed another mom with a newborn.  Her baby couldn’t have been more than three months old.  Instantly, when I see these other moms I just want to reach out to them.  I want them to know that they’re not alone.  Many times, in the midst of another diaper change or bath time, I feel like I’m the only one feeling totally exhausted. 

We are not alone!  I have found that the best advice comes from connecting with other mothers.  What a wonderful club! 

I'm currently reading a book called Mom Connection: Creating vibrant relationships in the midst of motherhood by Tracey Bianchi.  In the second chapter she writes:

"Never Alone Yet Lonely: Motherhood, while marked as a life stage of peppy bliss, can produce tremendous anxiety and isolation all, interestingly enough, while a woman is not physically alone. As moms we have little people literally hanging on us all day. We sleep with kids, nurse kids, strap kids to our chests like kangaroo-like-carriers. We cannot leave the house, the car, the restroom without them. We are never physically alone and yet our souls starve for connection.

Often our best efforts at connection can be hijacked. Perhaps we finally make plans to connect with a new friend, only to wake up to a toddler with a fever of 102.9. Your poor pediatrician has just become the conversational high point of your day.

No amount of balance, wisdom, or insight can shape a perfect mother. Everyone struggles. We should find this tremendously freeing because it helps to know we do not struggle alone. The old cliche "misery loves company" applies.

At this life stage where emotions feel crisp and near crumbling, even a simple invitation can shape our days and weeks. Author Adele Calhoun says, "Invitations challenge and remake us. They can erode and devastate. And they can heal and restore us. Being wanted, welcomed, invited and included are some of the most mending experiences on the planet."
 

I can definitely relate to these words in Tracey's book.  I am comforted to know that I am not alone.  I hope this information is helpful to you as a mom.  We all have different struggles as mothers.  Just know that we can lean on each other.  :-)