Mothers You Are Not Alone

My first blog... Even if I make no money off of this I feel it's something I need to do to keep my mind busy. I have only been a stay at home mom for 8 months, that's since my second son was born, and I have a new found respect for parents who opt to stay home with their kids. It's hard folks, dang hard. And the family's CEO does not get the respect they deserve. Let's be real: it is a thankless and sorely underpaid job where only the strong survive. It's mountains of laundry, sinks full of dishes, piles of dirty diapers and tedious errands done on about 45 minutes of sleep. But raising children is a labor of love, and the ones who get to experience it are truly blessed.

I know I am not alone (and neither are you!) when I say there are days when I feel overwhelmed. There are moments when I feel like a total failure as a parent, like I am letting my children down in one way or another. Just know that when you stop stressing about failing your kids is when you probably need to start worrying that you are failing them. Please remember: there is no such thing as a perfect parent, we all have bad days, we all make mistakes. The trick is to learn from them and do better the next time, stay vigilant and be there for our kids. Nobody has all the answers and as we all know kids do not come with a handy dandy instruction manual.

I have found several groups online designed for mother's that have been helpful and supportive when I really need it. First is cafémom (cafemom.com) I like this site because it's a lot like myspace only for moms. You have your own page, you can friend people. There are forums for anything you could imagine and the women are fabulous. You can even joins groups that are specific to your city or town and meet mother's in your area. The other forum that I use a lot is mamasource (mamasource.com) This site is a place where you can get answers to your questions, any questions, you may have about parenting from women in you geographic region. When you sign up you fill out your geographic info and your questions are emailed to women in your area to answer. Likewise, when other women have a question it is emailed to you so you might help them out. No question ever goes unanswered, no mommy ever feels alone. I know there are tons of sites out there just like these two, but these are the ones I use the most. If you are feeling overwhelmed please take a look, or find a site you like just as much. No mommy should ever feel isolated or alone.