Moms

Meeting Mom Friends

This is never easy! It's like being back in freshman year of high school or college, except now you've got a whole new role to figure out and a new human being to keep alive (and love, and feed, and nurture). At first, you'll be willing to hang out with/talk to any other mom who is willing. You just don't want to be alone at the lunch table (aka: any parent/child event). It's a very vulnerable time as you start to navigate your new mom role, and at this point, it's all about survival. Here are a couple of things to keep in mind as you survive:

1. Keep expectations to a minimum - making mom friends takes time! Somewhere along the way, you'll start to notice that you feel more at ease and relaxed around certain moms, and it may not be the "type" of mom you expected, and it also may be someone completely different than the friends you've always had, but just go with it. 

2. Be open minded and non-judgmental...of yourself and other moms. Remember that you and all the other moms out there are trying to figure out this mom thing - there will be successes and lots of hiccups along the way. Don't be too hard on yourself or the moms around you - we're in this together!

3. Don't forget to give time and energy to the other roles in your life that are not "Mom." This is really hard to do, because now you're a lot busier, but it's really important. Take time for you and build friendships in other areas of your life. 

3 things is usually enough to try to remember, so let's stop there.