I feel that I am an intelligent and capable woman but when it came to managing normal household chores and a baby, I often turned into an incoherent mess.
The first time I went supermarket shopping on my own I hadn’t thought about the potential difficulties.
I parked in a normal parking spot and then realised why you need the parent and child parking. I couldn’t get the baby carrier out of the door. I had to repark. Next step was what on earth do you do with the shopping as you go round. First time I decided to limit the shopping and balanced a basket on one arm. This seemed to work but we were missing a lot of shopping. On my second and subsequent trips I pulled the trolly whilst pushing the pushchair or pushed the trolly whilst pulling the pushchair. It was very cumbersome, and I could take out a whole aisle of people, but I was starting to feel impressed with my steering capabilities when I ran into a friend and discovered that I was an idiot. Of course! You can put the baby carrier into the trolly! I tried to pretend that I knew that and I was just doing the ridiculous two vehicle shopping because I had sooo much to buy that day. I think she saw through me.
There is so much you don’t know as a first-time mother that even the easiest tasks can become huge hurdles. I read recently about The Mum Ribbon Movement suggested by Anna Mathur where mums tie a ribbon to their pram/pushchair or changing bag and it says:
– I am open to you offering me some kind words or support
– I’m here if you need some kind words or support
It is a wonderful idea and is gaining lots of followers. I only wish it had been around 5 years ago.
The Instagram link is here: ANNA MATHUR ~ Psychotherapist ~ Author ~ Mother on Instagram: “Grab a ribbon and share the square! The ribbon says: – I am open to you offering me some kind words or support – I’m here if you need…”
