When I got pregnant I knew it would be no walk in the park. I knew there would be long days, and even longer nights. I knew exhaustion was coming, and maybe a tiny dose of irritability. Dispite all this, I truly believed I could handle it all. I definately wasn’t the girl looking for a ‘village’. Could I have been more wrong?
No matter how much you think you need to do it all, I’m here to tell you that you don’t. Trust me- I tried! Instead of feeling like a rock star, I felt burnt out. Apparently, I needed to find a village. Eventually, I made the decision that I needed to make some changes. My husband has always been an immense help and a great sounding board, but I needed more.
My biggest issue was how do I find these moms? There are a lot of options out there like mommy and me classes, playdates, and church groups but I found many group didn’t work for me as a working mom. I was delighted however, to discover how amazing the local parks department and public library were. Not only do they offer a ton of free events, but they have awesome classes for young kids that are spread throughout the day and on the weekends.
At the end of the day, I know the best thing you can do for yourself when you are feeling exhausted or drained is self-care. Whether that is taking time to exercise or even meditate. However, finding other moms that knew what I was going through has been such a blessing in my life that I wished I discovered it sooner. They have helped me with potty training tips, easy family meal recipes, and commiserated with me during the ‘terrible two’s’. Most importantly they helped me realize that my husband and I are not alone on this parenting journey, it takes a village, and thank goodness I finally found mine!
