It takes a village to raise a child, according to an African proverb. But it also takes a whole community to help and help mothers, especially first-time ones, according to mother and entrepreneur Milena Djankovich of the groundbreaking product The Ready Rocker. Here are some compelling reasons why social support is a must for moms – and how you can help them out.
Parenting isn’t always easy, so social support – whether it comes from old friends, a new moms’ club, or an online group – can make a difference. It can help mothers who feel they are not in control of some aspects of their life, who are struggling with their new roles or relationship with their baby or are on the verge of burning out. with everything that’s going on in the home and in the family, managing one’s schedule can be tricky especially for mama entrepreneurs.
Social support is particularly found useful in dealing with stress in general. According to research from the University of Chicago that compiled information from 66 different studies, social support helped people manage stress, or when they talk to or turn to someone else for help or advice. Several studies also noted that mothers who enjoyed help felt more self-esteem as a parent, struggled less to access important information, and saw their children in a more positive light.
And this is beneficial not just in the baby years but even as children are all grown up, added Milena Djankovich. A study from the journal Family Process found that support networks helped mothers develop closer ties with their teens, maintaining more positive parent-child relationships. Being a mother can be an empowering experience.
All these only show that when a mother surrounds herself and her baby with loving social support, the better her well-being becomes and the happier her baby grows up to be. Though moms can accomplish a lot in a day, they can still miss out on other tasks. Asking for the help of a partner, family member, or friends will get things done. Menial tasks such as picking up a child’s toys, sorting the laundry, and feeding pets can even be assigned to the kids. Delegating is an effective way to get the family involved in taking care of matters at home. When everyone’s helping, it will be easier to accomplish more.
Milena Djankovich is the president and co-founder of RockerMama. Being a mother, the entrepreneur and inventor found a practical solution to help mothers better look after their babies through The Ready Rocker™.