by Betsy Shaw posted in Parenting

This morning I ran into two mom friends. I talked to each of them for nearly half an hour. Our conversations could have gone on for days. The topic" Parenting teenagers.
I came away thinking, wow, we could really use a club or support group for mothers of teens in this town. Well, maybe I'm projecting.
Motherhood starts out seeming like such a romantic idea. I'm not saying this in a "Oh my God, I hate it" kind of way, but I am saying it in a "How did I not realize this was going to be so relentlessly emotionally demanding"" kind of way.

You get pregnant and you're the center of attention. You connect with other pregnant women, seamlessly. You talk, you laugh about your new, all-natural boob job, you lament the weight gain, the gas, the fatigue. But you know there's a baby coming, like a prize in the bottom of the cereal box, so the conversations are generally light. You have the baby and you're still the center of attention. Everyone wants to visit. Everyone wants to hold that baby. Everyone wants to hear your birth story and tell you how precious and magical being a mother is. You've brought a child into the world. You are a courageous goddess who can do anything. Baby care is hard, but your focus is clear: Food, comfort, love--survival.
Your baby turns into a toddler who becomes the center of attention. Opportunities, real or virtual, to get together with other moms and compare milestones and struggles ab...