The modern mum’s source of strength

I’m having an amazing time in Seoul. It’s my 8th day here and I’m missing Sophie like crazy especially when I saw young kids at Lotte World on their school excursion yesterday.  Made me wish she was with us, but bringing her along on a free and easy trip is no joke too as we have to walk so much.

Before I update with another post of my trip,  with plenty of photos no doubt, I’ve asked the lovely June to do a guest post for me. June and I knew each other from our former church where she was my cell mate’s girlfriend who then became his wife. Now June is a mother of two, yes and she blogs too at Mama wear papa shirt.

June shares her thoughts on the modern mum’s source of strength. As a modern mom myself, what she says resonates with me and I’m making it a point to connect with my girlfriends to be a source of strength to someone too. Hope you enjoy this post.

I’ve been reading John Medina’s book ‘Brain Rules for Babies‘, and this sentence jumped out at me the other day:

“Every time we get overly busy with work and family, the first thing we do is let go of friendships with other women. We push them right to the back burner. That’s really a mistake because women are such a source of strength to each other.”

– psychotherapist Ruthellen Josselson 

Women are such a source of strength to each other. How true is that.

I remember some months ago, I was going through the first pain-filled weeks of breastfeeding, how I poured my heart out to girlfriends via a group chat on watsapp. They listened. They empathized. They loved. And I found much strength and encouragement through them. In fact, without their presence and support, I might not have coped the way I did during those critical first few weeks.

Don’t get me wrong. The hubby is fantastic too. But remember, when it comes to a new baby, BOTH parents come under exceptional stress in the first couple of weeks.

Or months…

Anyhow, spouses and girlfriends are in two separate categories altogether.

Let’s face it. Women are social creatures. We have a gene in our DNA called ‘social’. Scientists call it oxytonin. (I’m not kidding, it’s in the book.) And in recent years, this gene has found another realm to manifest itself.

Yes, social media.

When I started blogging, I started with a simple desire to write and journal down the things I’ve learnt in my parenting journey. But I soon discovered a community of mum-bloggers. The journey has been rather serendipitous, one of stumbling upon blogs and entries that make me go ‘that’s so like me’ or ‘I feel that way too’, and of leaving comments to affirm what others have shared. Sometimes, heart-to-heart connections are formed over time. And often, I’ve picked up new ideas of doing this whole parenting thing.

Coming back to the heart of this post…women are a source of strength to each other.

As we navigate this maze called parenting, relationships with other women cannot be underestimated. It’s not just something good to have. The strength of our female support network may even make or break our parenting efforts. So go on, make that call, give your friendships the place that they deserve, and I guarantee you’ll be a much happier person and parent for it.

The closest women in my life? My mother and my godmother. They’ve journeyed with me since I was a mere baby, and today are active care-givers of my own. I may disagree with their ways of doing things, but I love them all the same, and just cannot express fully how blessed we are as a family because of their love and sacrifice.

I’m thankful today for the wonderful women in my life. (You know who you are.) And if you are too, do drop them a note to say so. 🙂

Who are the amazing women in your life, and what would you say to them today? Please share in the comment box below!