Parenting Win of the Week: Advice About Motherhood

There's always something to learn from every mom we meet.

Happy Mothers Day text on light box with flowers on the background.

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Happy Mothers Day text on light box with flowers on the background.

Photo by: jayk7

jayk7

There is an awesome article in the New York Times this week, and it isn’t an article at all. It is a collection of advice from moms across the country. Little nuggets they have learned along the way. There are bigger things like "preparing for loss" but also things like "stay hydrated." And it made me think as we are approaching Mother’s Day about what advice really resonates and where it comes from.

And the answer is, it’s hard to say. Advice that ends up being useful often doesn’t present itself as such until you need it. The best advice doesn’t always come from books or experts, it comes from real moms who may have experienced something similar themselves. It can come from your best friend, but it can also come from an acquaintance who you only cross paths with every once in a while.

It comes from friends who have walked a similar path before you and it can be as menial as the best sippy cup (which in the moment isn’t menial at all) or something more substantial like navigating a medical diagnosis. It can be about classes or meal prep or the best way to get a babysitter! It can be someone who has already navigated the world as a working mom. Advice in motherhood is fluid and it’s a sisterhood with an unspoken rule that you will pass along advice, or should we say, nuggets of experience to the next mom who needs it.

And yes, the advice your parents give — even if they had a different journey — can be so valuable.

It’s not often that we get to reflect on this part of motherhood when things are really hard or frankly when things are really busy. It’s incredible to think of moms as this large community full of people on very different journeys who all have common ground with each other.

So, this Mother’s Day I am celebrating all moms. My mom, the most important one in my life, but also all of the moms that have shared advice along the way. My friends, my colleagues, my acquaintances, and even the moms I have yet to meet.

Happy Mother’s Day! Take some time to relax — you deserve it.

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