The Happy Homemaker

Nursing a baby is not only beneficial to the infants development, but to the mother’s emotional and intellectual development as well. Nursing forces a woman to pause, rest, and think. Some women use that time unwisely and worry about what needs to get done, or what they could be doing instead of nursing. I used to do that too. Now I have learned my lesson and use that time to relax, meditate, and reflect on life.

Today as I was nursing my son after a busy morning of running errands, I thought about a conversation I had with my dad the night before. He was telling me about how he and my mother are looking for friends who also do not have children at home. I was telling him how I am looking for a couple who also have young kids so that we can hang out together. Our conversation sounded similar to single women discussing marriage prospects. It seems that in life we are always looking for someone else.

When we are children, we search for a best friend. We share friendship bracelets and run away from icky boys together. The boys run after the girls, only to put a frog in the girls’ pretty braids. As young adults we search for those icky boys, one to be our husband. As married people we search for that perfect couple to hang out with. It is always impossible to find a couple that both husband and wife like. Women search for the perfect playgroup mate at parks and at church. Men look for a golf or tennis (or nowadays X-Box) buddy. As we get older we then look for friends and potential mates for our children. Rarely do children like who we like however. Then we search for that other older couple who have no children at home.

We spend our lives searching for others with whom we can connect. We search for a clique, group, or organization to help us find ourself in others. Humans are not meant to be alone.

Even the perfect time to meditate is when you are holding your baby in your arms, feeding him while quietly thinking about how grateful you are for your life.