“It takes a village”—an over-used phrase when it comes to raising children, but it’s true.
Day one: More like day 40 of being a new mom and a new stay-at-home mom, I decided I needed to take control of my new career. If I was going to be happy and “good” at this, I had to make some new friends. This decision led me to join NPN and enroll in an infant music class. I also decided to join an NPN New Moms Group for stay-at-home moms (SAHM—I didn’t even know what the acronym meant when I was looking at the options).
Two weeks later, I attended my first meeting. Upon entering the hostess’s building, I met another mom coming to the group; we both looked stressed. Getting showered and out of the house in the cold and taking our babies by ourselves to an unknown location was a little overwhelming. Another mom, with twins, had one of her babies completely blow out a diaper, poor girl. Out of the 10 of us, perhaps two had it together. I went home and told my husband I wasn’t sure I’d go back.
Year one: Looking back after a year, I can’t believe I almost didn’t go back! In fact, almost half of us went home after that first meeting not planning to return. But we all did! The first year of my son’s life, my moms group met almost every Tuesday. We helped each other through the challenges of being a new mom. Sleeping, illness, solid foods, teething, walking—you name it, we experienced it together. After a year, I had nine new friends and my son had 10! I have no idea what I would do without my moms group. We help each other in many ways; we even took a weekend trip to Kohler!
Year two: The last year with my moms group has been just as great as the first. As our kids approached age two and became mobile, we started meeting at parks and other fun locations around the city. We still meet every Tuesday, and now our conversations are more about how much TV is okay and when and where we’re thinking about preschool. Our kids know each other, and they call each other by name, now that they’re starting to talk. A couple, including my son, have become older siblings. It’s yet again great to have a support system to lean on—lending a hand, bringing meals and sharing clothes and other baby items. On occasion we watch each other’s kids and share babysitter information. More than half of us use the same person to clean our homes.
Year three: Looking ahead, I am grateful to have such a wonderful group of friends. I do believe it takes a village to raise a child, but that village can include anyone you choose. Without my NPN New Moms Group as part of mine, I truly would be lost.
Check the NPN calendar to find upcoming New Moms Groups!
