At-Home Dads (or moms), please tell me if this sounds familiar…“Taking care of a baby is an isolating experience,” says Melissa Stanton, author of The Stay-at-Home Survival Guide: Field-tested Strategies for Staying Smart, Sane, and Connected While Caring for Your Kids (Seal Press). Indeed, new moms often feel cut off from the outside world and their former, independent lives. Between regular feedings, endless diapering, and the life changes that accompany caring for a newborn, there’s little time for new moms to get the much-needed support — and the me-time — they need. “You have this new baby and you don’t realize there’s a whole host of struggles, fears, and challenges that go along with it,” says Hannah Keeley, the mother of seven who is founder of hannahkeeley.com and host of the new PBS series, Hannah, Help Me!”
In the latest July issue of the NY Metro Parents magazine, there was a helpful article titled, How To Make Mommy Friends by Julie Ruggiero. Of course, the magazine could have inserted “parents” into the title instead of “mommy” and it would have sounded more gender friendly. However, I did enjoy the article and thought it pointed out a few helpful tips for all new at-home parents:
- Be proactive in meeting other new parents by putting yourself out there
- By listening to other new parents’ stories and sharing advice, you find out you are not alone in your role
- It’s easier than ever to find local groups for parents, parent-and-me classes, and play groups by searching online
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