The Village

I think it's interesting how before you have kids you have (well, at least I did.) a lot of opinions about things. How things should and shouldn't be done. As with anything in life when you start having opinions about something you know nothing about...you are likely to land off the mark on several things.

Now, that I'm a mom and I've been doing this for awhile I'm really starting to take notice of things in myself. Things I really want to do as a mother, things I'd like to change and things I can learn (both positive and negative) from others.

I've also started to notice decisions that my mom has made in raising us. Started to see the things I prize the most. And, different than before I am seeking to understand the things that I will choose to do differently. On many things I really feel like I can at least see where she was coming from which I don't feel like I could really appreciate until I was wearing my "mom" shoes.

In my days as a mother, or mamma as I prefer to be called--I really think having a "village" of great people to help raise your child(ren) is the thing I prize most. We have stayed in touch with 4 other families from our childbirth class and 1 that we met at the luncheon our hospital sponsors for mom's and their babies for the first year after deliver. This group of great families, of great mothers has been so instrumental to me as a mother. I have learned so much from these women in handling different situations and seeing all of our children grow and change in different ways as they become their own people. What I love best is that the dynamic of this group is so open and accepting of each other. We all at one time or another make different choices than each other in our mommy, professional and personal lives and folks are so cool about it. We aren't trying to "compete" we're just all trying to do the best we can. Trying to raise the best little people while maintaining our sanity.

I can't imagine a better group of people to have my son grow up with.

Mad love to the mammas out there!