Co-Workers

Every new mom needs co-workers.  Sharing the journey of motherhood helps me do it better and more joyfully.  When I transitioned from being a working wife to a homemaking momma, it took some time to find a network of co-workers, but it has come.  Here are my favorite types of friends for the new mommy... and where I found them:

*Other new mommies - There were two other pregnant ladies at the school where I worked while I was pregnant.  Our babies are all close in age and I love to compare notes with them.  Parenting is new to all of us so when we find something that works well for getting Baby to sleep or eat his veggies we can share the joy of discovery.

*One-step-ahead mommies - My sister has a baby, a toddler, and a preschooler.  Visiting with her and her sweet girls is a great way to get some hands-on job training.  My baby is headed for toddler-hood fast, and it's good for me to see how she handles her toddler... and how she manages three kids.  I can hear about her triumphs and mistakes and learn.  My son loves to watch and learn from his cousins too.  Another place I've found one-step-ahead mommies is the Mom's group at our church.  There are similar groups in most areas.

*Grandmas - My mom has been a lot further down the path of parenting.  So has my husband's mom.  They are great resources.  I can get caught up in "the way everybody does things" and forget that people have been having and raising babies for centuries.  The perspective that time grants can be useful to hear.  Our son's grandmas have had time to reflect on their mothering and can help me realize that the problem I'm dealing with today isn't as big as it might seem to me.  They remind me that "this too shall pass" ... and I'll miss it!

*One-step-behind mommies - I've only been a mommy for 8 months, but I like to think I've learned a few things.  It's nice when I get the chance to hold a littler-than-my-little-one and say "We had that struggle too.  What worked for us was ....".  We have a few couple friends who have had babies more recently than us and it is wonderful to return the favor of all the meals and gifts and doting we received when our son was born.

Some days it can feel like you're "in it alone" being home with Baby, but fellow laborers may be closer than you think.  When our son is napping and I've gotten the house clean already, one of my little luxuries is to pick up the phone and call one of my mommy co-workers for a chat.

RESOURCES
In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms