Create Your Village

The Empowered Mama – It Takes A Village

Why this podcast?
This is another one from the gold mine that is the Parents on Demand Network. There are so many pregnancy, birth and parent-related podcasts that, honestly, I’ll be featuring quite a few more over the coming weeks.

The Empowered Mama podcast is hosted by Lisa Druxmna whose passion it is –

”To raise healthy moms so that they can raise healthy kids in a healthy world”

The podcast focuses on fitness, food, life balance and living with passion and purpose.

Sounds good, huh?

Who should listen to this episode?
Everyone who is a parent, will soon be a parent and their friends and family.

We were not supposed to do this alone.

The episode
Lisa begins by talking about how overwhelmed so many of the women in her life are.

Sound familiar? 

Many of us are working but even if we are not, we are raising our families without the kind of support that we would have in another part of the world or that we would have had a generation or two ago.

So, how do I create my village?
Firstly, it’s probably good to think about what kind of village will fit best with your life. Maybe it’s an online community, local groups or a combination of the two.

Online there are almost endless possibilities. Mum groups on facebook, discussion boards on websites such as baby centre, support groups for families with specific situations or challenges, the list really does go on and on.

Explore a few options but don’t get too bogged down. Join one or two and see where you feel most comfortable. Remember, you are supposed to feel supported, not judged.

If meeting up with other mums locally is more your thing you could look for local meetup groups, baby and me classes, breastfeeding cafes, mummy fitness classes or even start your own meet up group at a cafe once or twice a month for local mums.

Even just saying hi to that mum you pass pushing the buggy each morning could be a great way to open a conversation.

Be a village for someone else
I love this idea.  Reach out to help another mum……. And don’t take no for an answer. Reaching out to people we don’t know so well isn’t always easy in our private society so here are 10 ideas to get you started –

#1. Babysit
This can be as simple as watching her baby at her house while she has a nice, long shower or gets a few things done around the house.

#2. Run an errand for them while you’re out
You know they’ll need something.

#3. Drop their kids to school
If you have school age kids then you’re going anyway and maybe they will return the favour.

#4. Bring her bin up
No explanation needed here.

#5. Bring her a bag with great books and kids clothes once you no longer need them
This one is great in lots of ways, not only does it save her from having to go and buy clothes in the next size up, it also saves money and is great for the environment. Win-win……..win!

#6. Drop a meal over to them
Bliss.

#7. Go for a walk with her (and maybe grab a coffee along the way…).
This gives you both a chance to get out of the house for some fresh air and exercise and, most importantly, a chance to talk.

#8. Give her a date night
If her kids are old enough you could watch them at her house or even have them sleep over at yours giving this mum a chance to spend some quality time with her partner.

#9. Write her a card to let her know she’s doing a fantastic job
We all need to hear that sometimes.

#10. Invite her and her kids over to hang out
Again, coffee and biscuits couldn’t hurt either.

And you know what?

In the process of giving a fellow mum a helping hand, you’ll likely also add a supportive friend to your own village.

To wrap up
This is a super short episode but such an important one. Having a village means having support, people who love us and have our back.

Who doesn’t need that?

I’d love to hear about your village and how you created it.

Until next time!