Being a Mom Can Be a Lonely Job

I don't want to say it's inevitable, but okay, I'll say it. In the first few years of your child's life, it's possible, at one time or another, you will find yourself feeling alone in this huge role called motherhood. Perhaps it is one day when your baby has been non-stop cranky, and your husband/wife/partner has been particularly—how can I phrase this gently—disappointing in their co-parenting role. Maybe it's when you're so sick, and no one is around to help you get through the day chasing around a toddler when you can barely stand up. I'm not talking about the general loneliness of being stuck at home with an infant (although that is undoubtedly rough, too), but a more desperate feeling of loneliness that clouds in on you like a dark storm.

Millions of mothers have come before you, and millions more are yet to be, but somehow, in a sea of all those mommies, you feel all alone holding up the world. That's a rough day, week, or even month.

If you're in that cloud right now, I'm here to remind you that this, too, shall pass, and as lonely as you feel right now, you are not alone. Tomorrow or the next day, or maybe a few months from now, you'll connect with another mom in a way that lets you feel understood and supported. Maybe your partner will take your little one for the day, and you'll bask in aloneness instead of loneliness. Perhaps you'll begin to form a community of fellow parents in your neighborhood, and bumping into them on the street will feel comforting. Maybe someone in your life will be there for you in a way that makes you feel supported and comforted. Whatever it is, you will know you're not alone in this job, and because of the loneliness you're feeling now, you'll be able to recognize a feeling of deep connection. Until then, I'm sending you a warm embrace.