Becoming a mother is a truly immense feeling. It is very fulfilling, and there are few things to match watching your cute bundle of joy smile at you and look forward to your lives together. It is something that few other things can compare to and a beautiful experience for mums. However, being a mum also comes with some responsibilities. Your precious baby needs you for a lot of things. Babies don’t exactly come into the world as independent individuals. They will be dependent on their parents for just about everything, meaning a significant chunk of your time is going to be devoted to taking care of your baby. Your perspective and priorities are also going to change to emphasize more on your baby, and your friendships might be strained in cases like this, but not necessarily so. While your old friendships’ patterns have to be adjusted to account for new realities, they do not have to become strained or broken. You can take steps as a mum to ensure that your old friendships are still healthy and strong while being a great mum to your baby. Below we look at some of the things you can do to keep your old friendships going strong.
1. Acknowledge The Situation Has Changed And Look At How To Adjust
This is the first step. Assess the situation and acknowledge that your situation has changed a bit. This will also require your friendships to undergo a bit of an adjustment to remain healthy. This change is also expected and happens sooner or later. So, embrace it! Trying to carry on with your old life as nothing happened will turn out to be full of disappointments from unrealistic expectations. It will also make the situation more hectic than it needs to be.
2. Have Honest Conversations With Your Friends And Give Reassurances
This is important. Sometimes, your friends may feel like you will not be into them as much with the significant addition to your life. They might think that you may no longer desire their friendship. This negative perception can be reinforced by the fact that you will not be able to go on hangouts and other mutual activities as much as before. Something they may interpret wrongly. Have conversations with them. Assure them that despite the fact you have less time on your hands, they still matter a lot to you, and you will always be there for them as much as you can, which makes a significant difference in helping them cope with the change.
3. Invite Them Into Your New Life
One of the fun ways a new mother can get to keep her old friendships going strong is to invite them into her new life. A new mother will require help from different areas. Ask your friends to help you out with the delicate and essential task of being a new mother, showing them that they are still wanted in your life. Also, it provides new areas over which your bond of friendship can grow even stronger. Getting them to help you out with little tasks related to being a mother also makes the experience of being a new mother a smoother one for you.
4. Make Time To Check Up On Them
While you won’t exactly be left with loads of time on your hands, make out time to check up on your friends. A well-timed call, gift, text, or something similar makes them know you still value their friendship, which can be done without compromising on the care and attention your baby needs.