from Aol Parent Dish
February 16th, 2011
How to Make Friends with Fellow Moms
By Ellen Rooney Martin
Once you get home with the new baby, making friends may be the last thing on your mind.
But going from office worker to parent can take a toll on your social life. Finding other moms to pal around with can ease the stress of being a new parent and make home life more fun.
“You really need women who are going through the same experience as you,” says Marla Paul, author of “The Friendship Crisis: Finding, Making and Keeping Friends When You’re Not a Kid Anymore” (Rodale, 2004). “Becoming a new mom is a huge change in your life and can be very isolating.”
Get online. The Internet can be a great place to find friends when you simply can’t get out of the house. CafeMom.com helps women connect with other moms who have similar interests, issues and even children. For instance, if you have a son born on New Year’s Day, you can find other parents with baby boys born on holidays.
Get moving. When you are ready to get out, join a fitness class geared toward moms. Strollercize is an exercise program available online and in some cities for moms pushing strollers who want to get fit. Many park districts have a variety of programs for new moms, as do libraries, music stores, book stores and coffee shops.
Get cooking. Spending time in the kitchen is another way to make new friends. Everyone talks about what to make for dinner, says Allison Bermack, co-owner of cookingwithfriendsclub.com. She says setting up a cooking date with someone can provide meals for the week and build a friendship.
“The dinners don’t have to be fancy or complicated,” Bermack says in a phone interview. “A lot of things are really, really simple to make. If you have time for lunch or even coffee with a friend, you can cook in that time, too,” she says.
It’s also important to maintain those pre-mom pals, Paul says.
“They will keep you in touch with who you were before you had a kid,” she says. Just be careful not to talk about the new baby nonstop and when you ask them about their lives, really listen.