We all know there’s no handbook on being a mom, but sometimes I wish there was. Having my first child was very overwhelming and I constantly felt like I was failing. Trying to navigate through picking the best products, establishing routine and going back to work were tough transitions and I felt like I didn’t have the knowledge others had to get through it. Then I found a mom group on social media.
I can’t recall exactly how I found them, I think I had heard about these elusive mom groups and just started typing phrases in the search bar. I must have tried typing in various versions of my city and mom group to see what I could find. The group was private and I had to confirm my location in order to be added. Once I was in there were pretty strict rules about what could be posted and what couldn’t and it felt very official. 🙂 I immediately started scrolling through old posts and couldn’t believe the information being shared. I had found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!
Everything from breastfeeding tricks, to tips about going back to work to just posts about feeling overwhelmed were being written. The comments back were so supportive, this is what worked for me, this is who I called, this is what I did. Sure there were a few comments that had a slight edge (there’s always that one person…) but most of what I saw was moms helping each other out.
I have learned so much from this group, when my youngest daughter had a medical issue and I posted asking for help I received so many suggestions and things to try. When they didn’t work they were the ones who gave me names of doctors who could evaluate her issue. These are people I’ve never met (and probably never will) and yet they were willing to help anyone asking for it.
So here’s my advice, find yourself a group like this and if you can’t find one start one. Create a list of rules, for example my group doesn’t allow anyone to sell anything – doesn’t matter if it’s admin approved, it doesn’t happen and they also don’t get political. The admins run a tight ship and it keeps the group going in the direction it was intended to, sharing advice and support for mom related issues. Once you create your group and rules start inviting others! As I’ve said in the past the more we share the more we know, and that makes us all better moms!
Do you have a mom group? Is it on social media or a group with your friends? Let me know in the comments!