Stay-at-Home Mom Review Parenting Tip of the Week

Have mommy friends.

Being a mother is hard, confusing and just down right complexing. But having mommy friends can help especially when you are a new mother. I suggest joining a local mommy group in your area. Try to find one that has your similar interest.

For example, I like making things from scratch, using cloth diapers and trying not be wasteful. So I join the Natural Mamas (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Natural_Mamas/) of the area where I live.

I love it. We get together for playgroups, share parenting tips and just talk about anything and everything. Joining the group has really helped me be a better parent to the little Peanut God blessed me with. I’m always watching the mothers of my group and how they parent their children. I soak in the info and then apply it to my child. Some things have worked and something haven’t. One thing really great about my group is we seem to really care about helping each other. The other mamas are interested in my hopes and dreams as I am in theirs.

A long time ago, in a near by land, families used to live very close together and young mothers would learn how to parent with their near by mother. Can you imagine how much easier it must have been? It’s hard to replicate that mother, daughter, baby parenting line, but I think my group comes very close.

Here is a list of what I consider to be the benefits of my group.

1. companionship

2. parenting tips

3. friends for your child

4. hand me downs

5. and the most important the knowledge that others have the same thoughts, fears and struggles as you in your similar parenting journeys.

The question, though, how do you find such groups? That is a hard one. I kind of lucked out because a friend from grad school started the one I’m in and then she invited me to join.

Suggestions, look on the internet. Google playgroups in your area and see what you find. Look on cafemom and see if there is a group in your area.

Call a local parenting board, perhaps chamber of congress in your area.

Ask around especially other mamas with children in the same age range as yours.

If there isn’t one in your area, Then Start One. Mommies are anxious for mommy friends because being a stay-at-home mom can be so isolating. It probably wouldn’t take long before mothers are knocking down your door begging for a playgroup.