My mother has always been what I call a "joiner". In her neighborhood she has been the head of three of the four neighborhood organizations. She was always involved in our schools and extracurricular activities when my sister and I were growing up. As a kid we assumed the involvement was to keep a short leash on us. To a certain extent, that is probably true. However, that was not the bigger reason for her involvement in these organizations. She was a stay-at-home mom. She was always a good student with an active mind (as long as math was not involved, he he). She needed to use her brain.
I have shared before that I have been struggling the last couple of years. In large part this is because my brain has been on hiatus. I have a degree in finance with a minor in international business. I worked in the complex world of gas marketing accounting. I was responsible for around $75 million worth of business each month. Then I left the working world to stay home with the little ladies. Suddenly my biggest financial responsibility was finding the cheapest organic milk. I am certain that staying home was the right decision for our family. Unfortunately, this may not have been best for my mental health. Particularly since Panda Girl was born, I have not taken good care of myself.
Fast-forward to tomorrow morning. I am going to a group called MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers). It is a group I have been aware of for a couple of years. At the time I first heard about it, we just had Sweet Pea and I had a nice group of friends I saw daily. They were my support group. As of this summer, each one of those women has moved away. While I understand that they are only a phone call away, it is not the same. So, tomorrow I am actively trying to find a new support group. The little ladies will go into the childcare for a few hours while I spend some time meeting some new people. I am fighting the urge to feel guilty about the little ladies being put in the nursery. This is something I need to do for me to be a better mommy. At the end of the day, that is what is most important. My girls want me to be happy. When I am happy, they are happy.
I guess I will start counting myself as a joiner. Clearly my mom was on to something, I should try to learn from her.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
there's a group here called "Corporate to Crayons", never got up enough nerve to join because...well...hospitals aren't really corporations (or they would have you think)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to my first Meet-up-Moms group on Thursday! I'm so nervous! Decided I needed more than 2-3 friends that stay home too! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteHey! So glad you found a possible moms group. Let's just say mine is my lifeline. I could not survive without it. Don't feel guilty at ALL! It's too important and the girls will just be able to make new friends. Hope it goes well. If you don't like it, I know that there's Tapestry (moms' group) at First Pres. Hope it's great!
ReplyDeleteAhh, the struggle for balance. I know it well. I'm racked with guilt about putting my kids in full time care, so a partial day of care on MOPS days seems fairly innocuous to me. But, my perspective is a bit skewed. You definitely need some time to fill your tank and the girls will only benefit.
ReplyDeleteI've heard nothing but great things about MOPS. I've joined a MOPS group in SD - even if we are only there for a month I know I'm like you & I NEED that support & fellowship. Hope it goes well! (And now that I just told you, I can't back out on my meeting next week. Cheers to accountability! :) )
ReplyDelete