Band Of Mommies

I have had the wonderful privilege of hanging out with a great group of mamas on Thursdays. We all take our little ones to story time and afterward, our little ones play while we chat.

Sometimes we even grab lunch together afterward to continue our conversations. The best thing about this group of gals is that, though we all have some differences in parenting, there is no judgement. We all sit and talk freely about our kids, our beliefs, parenting styles, births, how/what we feed our babies, our likes and dislikes about parenthood or anything else for that matter. When someone brings up a different way of doing things the others are genuinely curious, ask questions and offer encouragement.  Everyone just wants to learn about all the possible ways to achieve the same outcome.  Raising and loving our children. We all support one another without offering advice that was never asked for in the first place. We can voice hardships, vent about frustrations and celebrate victories. We are all confident that we are equally doing a great job, even if our methods differ from one another.

Celebration: Ayden staying asleep during transfers to/from the stroller ROCKS!
He stayed asleep during my entire haircut today.
Out of the car seat, into the stroller.  Out of the stroller, into the car seat.

The biggest thing we have in common is that we all love and want what is best for our children and it seems like that is all we need. Everyone in this group seems to understand that the "best" is going to look different for every family and that is how it should be. It is so very refreshing!  

Outdoor snack while I got our car serviced before our big road trip!

Being a mom is hard work. We as mothers need an accepting sisterhood of fellow mothers to talk to. We need to be able to talk about the tough stuff to listening and understanding ears. We need people who can just nod and say they understand or cheer us on for seemingly small victories because they truly understand exactly what we are going through and how big even the smallest of accomplishments really are for our children.

When did motherhood become such a competition?  When did we forget that we women should band together as a pack to offer support and encouragement. One mother sharing how she does things or being excited about an awesome new development for her child shouldn't be interpreted as her bragging or her thinking she knows the only way to accomplish these victories. We should happily celebrate with her because we know how hard it is. We understand why a mother would want to shout something exciting about her child from the rooftops because every mother wants to celebrate her children. There is no competition in motherhood. No ribbons, trophies or metals. All we have are the little ones that we love so dearly and every little thing they do is our reward for being in the trenches day in and day out.

The next time you hear a mother celebrating her little one, instead of letting jealousy flare, try celebrating right along with her. And the next time a mother comes to you to vent about tough times, try just listening and validating her feelings. Chances are, she's not looking for advice, just someone who can relate. She just wants to know that she's not alone in the trenches motherhood.

The view up above from our front porch at the cottage.  

I know how hard it is to find mommy friends and I feel lucky that I have finally found a whole group of them. They really are sweet gals and all of their babies are adorable. They hug Ayden and celebrate his accomplishments just as much as I do and I do the same for their babies. Let's not forget, mommies, that it takes a village. If you have trouble connecting with other mothers, I challenge you to let down your guard a little and open up. You just may be surprised by the friends you can make. 

Have you  found a good mommy friend or two?  

~Sarah

Flashback! Here's what we were up to one year ago today: "My New Best Friend"

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