No one enters into motherhood unchanged. When you become a mother, you find yourself in a position of rediscovering who you are, and sometimes that’s very different from the person you were before. As you change, you may need to look at your circles of influence from your acquaintances to your closest friends, and potentially make some adjustments.
A piece of advice I got that I am so thankful for is to know your values and seek mentors, friends, and relationships with people aligned with those values. The people you surround yourself with have great influence on who you are and how you raise your kids. So how can we evaluate our current relationships and make necessary adjustments that are best for our new life stage? I think it starts when we ask ourselves some tough questions: Are the people I currently surround myself with taking me where I want to go? Are they positive? Is the relationship healthy? Do they love my children the way they deserve to be loved?
The answer to all these questions was not a resounding “yes” for all the relationships in my life.
My hope is that everyone has at least one relationship in their life that is fulfilling and whole. Some of you may have lifelong friends and family that have grown with you through each of life’s stages. I had to be intentional about making some changes, distancing myself from people that were no longer positive for me, and finding my new tribe.
I am so thankful that I have found my people. These are friends I did not know in high school. They are not from my hometown and they didn’t see me in my awkward emo stage. I didn’t even know them before I was a wife and mother. The women I surround myself with truly see me and appreciate me as I am. They know my fears and failures and I trust them with both. I can weep, laugh, and pray with them as we raise our children together. By each other’s sides, we are doing the best, most perfectly imperfect job we can in navigating motherhood.
The relationships I hold so dearly in my life did not happen overnight. They started because of common life stages and were nurtured by spending time together. I found most of my tribe at my local church, but if you’re not sure where to start in finding yours, here are some resources on where to start locally to meet people in a similar stage as you:
MINT Hardin Valley: MINT stands for Moms In Network Together. It is a Christian-based moms’ group that meets monthly in Hardin Valley. Their Facebook Group is here.
Storytime at your local library: I’ve personally attended these, but I’ve heard such good things about mamas meeting and kids mingling! Simply look up your closest library for when they are next meeting!
Toddler Takeover: This is a designated indoor playtime at the Farragut Community Center. It is offered on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10-11am and the cost is $2 per child. It may be a little wild, but there will be tons of people in your same life stage for your kids and you to get to know!
Fit4Mom Knoxville: This is a group of moms that gets together for mommy and me fitness classes. You can find the class schedules and other information for the West Knoxville area here or follow along on Instagram.
MamaYogaTN: This is a moms’ yoga group taught by one of our very own Knoxville Moms contributors, Jordan Morgan. Her focus is on creating community for local mamas and encourages self-care. She offers Baby&Me and Toddler Yoga Classes! Her website is here and she is on Instagram.
For a longer list of more MOPS groups, check out this post.
