I’m going to date myself here- when my oldest was born, my husband and I set up a joint Facebook account to be able to share pictures and updates with far away family members. We were living in a foreign country and everyone I knew who spoke my language had no kids and worked all day. What a contrast to having my other kids back home, with not only friends and family around, but also with a smartphone in hand to connect me to the wider community of moms! I think it’s safe to say that social media has transformed our experience of parenting.
Social media can be a great tool for connecting with other people and learning about resources that we might not otherwise get to know. It can encourage creativity and help to pass the time when we are stuck at home. It can also steal time that we would rather have spent elsewhere, and distort our perception of the world around us. So I wanted to give you a little reminder for today- don’t forget the living rooms.
Look up from your phone and look around you. What do you see? A long-neglected project? Another person you can talk to? That book you’ve been wanting to read? Something else you keep telling yourself you’ll get to later? It’s fine if you need a break or you’re enjoying something online. But don’t forget to put it down at some point and choose something that you will be happy you did at the end of the day. Don’t forget your living room.
Everyone has a living room- a place where real life happens in all its messy, imperfect, challenging, where-do-I-even-start glory. We can get sucked in and lose sight of our own living room, but we also forget that every post, photo, and video is connected to someone with their own living room, that is rarely (if ever) visible in our feed. One beautiful picture represents one single second, almost certainly surrounded by minutes, hours, or even days of unseen chaos and struggle. Don’t let those moments of perfection make you feel bad about your entire day- Don’t forget the living room.
We can find real connection by letting people into our living room, literally or virtually. That’s what my work is all about- whether through home visits, supporting you right in your living room, or in Untangling Motherhood, where we gather as a group of women looking to connect honestly and compassionately with ourselves and our community, whatever that may look like. Want to learn more? Email me at heather@infantconcierge.com to find out how I can support you in your motherhood journey.