Will You Be My Friend?

As many first time parents, after the birth of my oldest son, I was home, with this beautiful baby and no friends who were in my same position (new mom, no longer working, etc.).  I loved being home with my son, but it became lonely and isolating, which is often how I’ve heard new moms describe their experiences.  It was time to make some friends.  How do you make friends with people like you as an adult?  As children, college students and employees, making friends is pretty easy, as you automatically are in the same place both physically and figuratively.  But there I was, at home having to learn where to go to meet other moms. 

I don’t think I ever had to work so hard in my life to find friends in the same place as myself.  It was a challenge, and one that required lots of effort to put myself out there.  It felt like I was scoping the library baby story time for a date…saying hello, asking how old is their child is, where they live.  Those were the easy questions, but taking it to the next level was tougher, and one that took some courage to accomplish.  Once I established these wonderful relationships, there were people from which I could seek advice (that wasn’t my mom), people with which I could share my feelings and woes about being a mom.  These are relationships that I now have come to cherish and adore.

Liz and I are always encouraging parents, both new and not so new, to have support in their lives.  There are so many different kinds of support that parents need, friendship with other like-parents being an important one.  It can be uncomfortable for some to take those risks and put themselves out there to meet others, but the payoff is well worth it both for the parent and their child.

Sincerely,

From the Stork’s Nest ~

Rebecca   

Are you a parent that needs help developing supportive relationships?  Stork Support, LLC provides home-based counseling and resources to families during pregnancy, after baby arrives, through the toddler years and beyond.  As featured on ABC Action News, Stork Support delivers counseling to your doorstep with in-home visits, online video calls or telephone sessions so you can get support without having to leave your home no matter where you live.  Visit www.storksupport.com for more information.