I walk into my favourite cafe to get some work done while my son is in nursery. There is a young mum with a newborn trying to enjoy a quick Cuppa while her baby has a snooze. She looks quite relaxed and calm.
Another mum walks in with her buggy, orders her Cuppa and sits close to the other mum. Five minutes later they are chatting away! This is one of my favourite sights. I have been there, I know how lonely it can be as a stay at home mum especially looking after a newborn. I remember that thrill of being out in the fresh air, randomly walking into a cafe and actually enjoying a nice cup of coffee as my baby slept next to me. The excitement of talking to another grown up, and just people watching. I remember how miserable some days would be, stuck at home with no one to talk to and the day would just drag on! So I started making an effort to go out and soon had a nice little mummy group. It was so different to my 'past life' as I like to think of it - when I went to work, had so many interesting responsibilities and could actually walk away from it all at the end of the day. So, the mummy role took some getting used to.
But what made it so much easier is my lovely mummy friends - Mums United as
I like to call us. Many long walks together as the babies slept in the prams, coffee mornings, sneaky lunch dates and play dates as the babies became older. So many good memories, and some sad ones along the way. All this was therapy to my mummy soul.
So, when I sit here and watch these mums have a chat and smile at each other, I feel happy. I know these mums have a lot of new experiences coming their way and I know how much more happier the good ones will be when shared with their mummy friends and how much more bearable those horrible days will be.
Sometimes we just have to go out there and make new friends to suit our life circumstances. And I have realised that there are no more precious friendships than my mum friends. Some have come and gone. But some will always stay. They have become my confidante, excercise
Buddies, drinking buddies and I know I can always count on them to be my emergency babysitters. They become extended family. Some of us are lucky enough to have good friends who live close to us and have kids around the same time as us. For all the rest of us, I urge you new mums to go out there and meet some lovely new mum friends. You will be glad you did for years to come.