Farewell, Play Group

This morning was our last play group in the park outing. It makes me sad that it's over. It means summer is coming to an end and it means we won't be seeing Peter Rabbit and his mom anymore for play dates since she's going back to work.

I've found something for us to do starting in September with a re-invented Belles Mamans. They are now offering classes all over the place in other people's place of business, which makes a lot of sense. Don't have to pay rent and you can better cater to your clients who live all over the island of Montreal -- and off it, like myself. Jr and I are taking a course called Sensory Exploration. I imagine that to mean playing with toys, instruments, singing and whatever else delights the senses of a toddler. I don't really care what we do. It gets us out of the house and in contact with other moms and toddlers.

This morning I spoke with two moms in the play group I had never sat with before because their kids are babies -- they make Jr look like a kid, not a baby. I think one is turning 1 next month and the other is maybe 6 months old. I was listening to their labor and delivery stories and I realized the grass always looks greener on the other side until you actually walk over to the other side and take a good look. One mom pushed for 3 hours and she vomited almost the entire time. Push. Vomit. Push. Vomit. The other mom had three miscarriages before she was finally able to conceive her daughter and then was put on bed rest at 20 weeks because the placenta was so low. She was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance at one point because her bleeding was so heavy.

And yet somehow, by some miracle, 10 moms and their kids got together for a play date this morning. We all have our stories and we all have our horror stories, whether from pregnancy or delivery or the first 6 months or the first year, or from now. No matter what the story is, we need to stick together and help each other. Despite your partner knowing everything you went through, sometimes you need another mom to understand. 

So let's be nicer to each other, okay mommies? No more treating motherhood like a competitive sport! No more judgment! And older moms (or moms with older kids or kids that are now grown, I should say), this goes for you too! Your memory can play tricks on you. You weren't Super Mom. You didn't do everything perfectly. You made mistakes. You were at a loss sometimes. You hated getting unsolicited advice. Give us new moms, us moms at the beginning of the race, a break. We could use your sympathy and your compassion.

Okay, I'm done now.