We know there are those people whose infants start sleeping eleven or twelve hours a night around four months old. These so-called “babies” take three daily naps at 8, 12 and 4.30. And then there are the rest of us.
At one point my moms group’s weekly discussion was so dominated by sleep that we were starting to get sick of each other, even though we needed each other so very badly, because no one else would be willing to listen to us talk with such hysteria about our child’s sleep habits.
Because it was a sensitive issue, I emailed the group ahead of time suggesting that at our next gathering, we would censor the subject unless it was a serious mental health situation that someone needed to address. I proposed a list of alternative topics that would help rejuvenate us and make us laugh during our meeting. We did this twice and it was tons of fun.
Our format was to go around in a circle and each answer the proposed alternative-to-how-is-your-baby-sleeping question. This is your 21st rookie mom challenge. Here are some conversation starters for you:
- What brought you to live here?
- Where did you go to college and what did you study?
- What were you going to name the baby if it was the opposite gender?
- Tell us about the relationship you had before you were with your partner.
These may sound basic, but when you’ve spent all of your bonding time discussing strollers and nipples, you may have left out some basic facts. Try it and let us know how it goes.
Not ready to make it through a day without talking about sleep? Pick another challenge.
I love this. We have a dad or two in our group so I’m sure they don’t enjoy the usual mom topics! I will definitely be proposing some of these questions on Friday – thanks!
Besides, if your baby is getting some, talking about it will just jinx you (and make the other moms hate you). [knock wood, spit spit]
[...] So far among my favorites are Keep a List of Things You Swore You’d Never Do as a Parent, Talk About Something Besides Sleep, and “Jump into the Picture<.” (Granted, there are more there but I haven’t [...]
sleep is so completely consuming – it’s all i thought about in the first year practically! this would have been a great idea!
I just wish I knew where to find these groups. I find mom’s groups but the ages are mixed. It would have been so nice to be with a group of people who were experiencing the same things I was.
HI Heather and Whitney, my three are now 13, 16 and 18 so I’m past rookie, but still learning. I home schooled, and I remember asking a woman I had known for about 5 years where she went to college and what her family was like because I has the sad realization that all we usually ever talked about was CURRICULUM. Now I write a blog about healthy living, both physically and emotionally…I hope you get a chance to check it out.
[...] Talk about something besides sleep. [...]
[...] Talk about something besides sleep. Check. There’s also preschool, kindergarten, potty training, blogging. Oh, wait. Was I [...]