Before having a child, making time for simple activities, like meeting up with your friends, may have been easy. But now that you’re a mom, many of your days are dedicated to tending to your little one’s every need. Many mothers go through the experience of putting their social lives on the back burner, especially in the earliest years of motherhood.
This doesn’t mean, however, that you should completely abandon your own social life to be a good mom. On the contrary, spending quality time with your friends will allow you to take a break from your mommy duties and reinforce your connection to people who’d love to take care of you – thus giving you the mental health boost to continue your parenting responsibilities.
Here are a few things you can do to reconnect with your friends and strengthen your friendship during this new juncture in your lives:
1) Bond Over an Activity You and Your Friends Can All Enjoy
Bonding over an activity that aligns with your shared interests and passions can reignite the spark of your longtime friendship. It also gives you a chance to create new memories you can all cherish. There are plenty of group activities you and your friends can enjoy together, and it’s just a matter of choosing which one to do first.
For a simple and relaxing form of exercise, you and your friends can try doing yoga. Apart from providing you with a welcome break to your busy routines, a yoga session is not that difficult to set up. You don’t need a lot of equipment to practice yoga, and you can all do it at someone’s home. All you’ll need are exercise mats and the right attire, which can include moisture-wicking tops and comfy women’s leggings. You also don’t need to hire a yoga instructor to enjoy the activity; following a simple yoga video will suffice.
If yoga isn’t your thing, then you can definitely do something else. Why not hold a group cooking or baking session to honor all the meals you used to share together at your university dorm? You can also play board games together or do simple crafts that you can give as gifts to your respective family members. As long as everyone is having a good time, you create a comfortable environment for conversations to flow naturally.
2) Set Up Play Dates With Your Friends
You can also set up play dates if there’s more than one mom in your friend group. Play dates will allow your children to interact with each other and make new friends while you catch up with your own buddies; in that regard, it’s a win-win situation for everyone.
A play date in someone’s house or in the local park can also provide you and your friends with a relaxed and familiar setting where you can discuss parenthood and seek advice from one another. Plus, watching your little ones play and have fun can be a heartwarming and rewarding experience.
To make play dates exciting for all, it’s a good idea to take turns hosting them. This gives everyone a chance to participate and feel welcomed.
3) Hold Video Calls Regularly
Having regular video calls with your friends can help you maintain a strong friendship, no matter how far apart you are. Today’s video conferencing technologies have made it possible to stay in touch with loved ones when time and logistics make in-person meetups harder to set up. Being on a video call will also allow you to multitask, which means that you can spend time with your friends while also watching your kids and staying on top of other mommy duties at home.
4) Plan a Potluck
What’s better than celebrating your friendship over some good food and drinks? For a laid-back kind of activity, you can’t go wrong with a potluck. Whether it’s held during lunch or dinner, a potluck will always broker a relaxed and enjoyable atmosphere where everyone can feel right at home.
Moreover, the collaborative aspect of a potluck creates a sense of togetherness, in which everyone contributes something to the gathering’s success. Take this chance to encourage everyone to bring a special dish they’ve tried or learned how to cook, resulting in a diverse and delicious spread.
5) Have a Child-Free Meetup With Friends
Spending time with your children should be your top priority, and some of the activities suggested above can definitely be done in the company of your children and partner. But it’s also important for you to be able to schedule child-free meetups with your friends when you can.
These will offer you a break from the demands of motherhood and allow you to express yourself outside your new role as a mother. This way, you’ll be able to maintain the core of your friendships and retain a sense of self that you need in your life as a parent.
Being a mom is an amazing experience, but between the special moments you’ve shared and will continue to share with your child lies one of the toughest challenges of becoming a mother: change. Motherhood changes many aspects of your life, including your social life. It can initially be very hard to navigate through the sudden shifts in your identity and routine.
All the same, you can—and should—maintain meaningful connections with people outside your immediate family. This includes your dearest friends. With this guide as your reference, reach out and schedule a date for spending time with each other soon!
This is a collaborative post
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1 comment
A good reminder!