Motherhood feels like the loneliest job on the planet for many women – especially for young moms who live far away from close family. They go through their days as a one-woman army, balancing work, children, and a never-ending list of responsibilities around the home.
Generations ago, it wasn’t often like that. Daily life for women happened largely in community. Female friends, neighbors, and moms and daughters used to quilt, cook, and do their laundry together.
But times have changed and, sadly, not always for the better. In some ways, women are more isolated than ever, yet they still crave emotional connection with other women. Most women long to know they’re not alone.
The question is, is it possible for women to recapture that sense of connection so common generations ago? As you’ll hear on our broadcast tomorrow, they can, and when they do, great things can happen. There is power when women come together to help each other be stronger, healthier, and happier in their roles as moms.
But how can they do that? We’ll have a number of practical ideas for you on tomorrow’s program.
Like this one: Start thinking about daily tasks you and your friends are already doing and start doing them together.
One mom had a “freezer meal party.” They pooled their money to buy the list of ingredients and in one 90-minute cooking party, they helped each other make 10 freezer meals apiece.
Another idea is to become laundry partners. Our guest, Jill Savage, says one day each week she would go to her friend’s house, and they’d sit and talk while they did her laundry. Another day that week, Jill’s friend would come to her house, and again they’d sit and talk while they did laundry.
It’s all about busy moms finding simple ways to build relationships with one another without adding to the time commitments and pressures they already face.
And that’s key. Some women don’t feel like they have the time to give to what can seem like “just one more activity.”
But when women retreat into their own homes, they’ll soon expect their husbands to fill a role in their lives that their husbands aren’t able to fulfill. Your husband can be a good friend, but he won’t make a very good girlfriend.
It’s the reality of the gender differences. A female friend can bring another woman an understanding of the female experience that a man simply can’t appreciate. So don’t try to change your husband into your best girlfriend.
A husband needs male friends, and a wife needs female friends.
Tomorrow’s program will help women build meaningful relationships with other women that will encourage them as moms, strengthen their marriages, and become a significant part of satisfying that deep emotional craving that women have.
I hope you’ll join us.
Our guest will be Jill Savage, a well-known author and speaker on parenting issues and relationships, and the founder and CEO of a ministry called Hearts at Home, which serves more than 10,000 moms every year. Also joining us will be Jill’s eldest daughter, Anne McClane. Anne is an author in her own right, and a pastor’s wife with two young children of her own.
You can find our broadcast on your local radio station, or tune in anytime online or via our free, downloadable mobile phone app.
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