SAHPs: How to Stay Sane

No one disputes the fact that it is a privilege to stay home with your children, but working from home all day and night, taking care of demanding, needy, wonderful human beings, can also be exhausting and lonely.

Our winters are brutal, and it can be hard to brave the cold and snow when you have to bundle up an infant or multiple kids, but with summer in full swing, now is the time to venture out.

Outdoor Activities
While not a formal setting, the park can provide a place for meeting other moms and children, creating new friendships and future play dates. You just have to be bold and ask for a number; you may never see that awesome mom with her children who are the exact same ages as yours. The worst that could happen: that super cool mom could give you the wrong number. At least you aren’t likely to see her again!

If you are a stay-at-home dad, this can be tricky. Obviously you don’t want to ask another woman for her number, and the percentage of dads at home is slim. However, if you find a family that clicks, giving your wife’s number to the other mom is a way to bypass any awkwardness.

Lessons and classes
Enrolling your child in some kind of formal lessons can be one of the best ways to interact with other adults while also providing something beneficial for your child. Area facilities have a plethora of activities: swimming, gymnastics, art, cooking, sports of all sorts, soccer, basketball, and much more.

If you have an infant, your options are limited, but swimming lessons can start as early as six months and gymnastics at one year. They offer a variety of hours to accommodate both working and stay-at-home parents.

Local Library
The library is a saving grace for many stay-at-home parents. Most of the branches have storytime for infants and toddlers as well as some educational programs for school-age children.

Everything is free, but many of the popular programs require preregistration.
If the meeting times don’t work for you or your child’s schedule, just bringing your child to the library to play can be fruitful for both of you. Almost always at least one other caregiver is there, and even if you don’t chat, it’s nice to be around others for the same purpose.

Erin Schoen Marsh
Erin Schoen Marshhttp://www.erin-marsh.com
Erin is a writer/editor, yoga teacher, and mama to two little ones.

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