Celebrating Parenthood

I like to throw parties. I’ll look for any excuse to get people together.

After having my daughter, I wanted to do something to honor the journey that I had made from pregnant lady to a mama. It’s so easy to forget what an accomplishment it is, as one is thrust into the round-the-clock caretaking that is parenthood. I also knew plenty of other new parents who were going through the same adjustment.

So I decided to host a New Parent Party for about 15 families we had met in the last few months in our community. I booked the picnic shelter at Glyndon Park (just $25!). We had a potluck lunch, and the sight of about a dozen car seats and strollers was a fun distraction from the sweltering heat.

The babies were really well behaved. I got to meet some babies of friends who I hadn’t seen since we’d all become parents. We all seemed happy to be out in the fresh air, as proud new families.

On Connecting ...

As with any major life transition, learning to raise a child is a multi-faceted endeavor. As I move through each day, I find myself thinking about “connecting.”

I try to connect with my daughter each day. At 11 weeks, she has really started to coo and be verbal. So I’m trying to connect with her through language and voice. This is an important skill for her develop, so I try really hard to connect through talking.

I try to connect to nature. My goal is to take a walk with Ellie each day. I hope that she’ll hear the birds singing and the rustle of leaves—natural sounds that I believe will provide comfort to her now and as she grows. Last night I already saw some fireflies around town, offering a sign that the seasons are moving along.

Being a stone’s throw from the capital, I realize that I have ample opportunity to connect Ellie to her national heritage. My mom and I took her for some pictures on the National Mall and the National Archives. I thought about how maybe someday she’ll be a senator or lobbyist, and how this was her first trip to see the Capitol! At the very least she will later bear witness to the history and present day governing of her country.

This next connection is a big one: as a mother, I see the connection with the whole human race. I brought one more life into this world. When I look around and see kids and parents, (anyone really), I realize that we all started out the same way. We share a common humanity. I was reminded of this in a restaurant yesterday when, as I was putting Ellie into her car seat, I caught a middle-aged woman looking at me. When our eyes met, her glance softened with this knowing look that said, “Isn’t she amazing? Isn’t it all amazing?” How wonderful to find a connection at a time in society when the term more often refers to computers or cell phone service.