Whether you have young children or rambunctious teenagers, chances are you’re an active participant of a mom group chat. It’s often a place to vent, to share funny stories, to ask advice and, most importantly, to commemorate the best and worst parts of motherhood.
“Moms’ chat groups aren’t just about teething and toilet training and packing school lunches,” says Kate O’Donnell, a 56-year-old mom in Brantford, Ont.
What surprises Ms. O’Donnell about her online moms’ group – still going strong after 20 years – is how engaged they are in reinventing their postchildren selves. “Being a mom is paradoxical: all-consuming but also inspiring, transforming, rendering the old self irrelevant and inadequate,” she shares. “We turn to our moms’ groups to deal with our own change and growth, not just that of our kids.”
The Globe and Mail reached out to readers to ask them what parenting questions are on their minds. After reading through dozens of responses to our callout, we asked three parenting experts – clinical and health psychologist Laila Din Osmun, registered psychologist Vanessa Lapointe, and Caron Irwin, mom and founder of consulting firm Roo Family, to share their insights on the questions that resonated with them the most.
Liz Trickett, 25, Burlington, Ont.
Jasmin Mamani, 50, Toronto
Vanessa Stewart, 39, Whitehorse
Stephanie Jones, 32, Toronto
Jayne Shewman, 49, Mississauga
Lastly, many parents asked about ‘mom guilt’. This is what our experts had to say ...
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How group chats have become the new family time
The homemade dishes that make us think of our mothers
These 10 wines are perfect for Mother’s Day celebrations
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