All "capitalist feminists" (see post from two days ago) must have had a good laugh about my post yesterday. "You asked for it when you got kids, and more kids", they must be jeering. Well, I'm feeling more optimistic again today, as expected.
I have several times written that my blog's criticism isn't targeted at mothers who have just given birth to their first child. I thought of a parallel to the exceptional situation they are in after a chance meeting this morning. After having taken the girls to daycare, I was approached by two Finnish mothers, who both have twins, all of whom have in the past weeks moved to Berlin and have started at our girls' school.
One of the mothers was so relieved to see another Finn that she literally burst out in tears, after telling me that it's so heartbreaking to see her children (6 years old) adjust to the move. I always make an effort to help such people who have just moved into town, as I know how scary and lonely the weeks after a move can be.
This meeting reminded me of becoming a mother for the first time. It's like moving into a foreign country. You suddenly become a new person (a mother / foreigner), and have to deal with an environment and challenges that can feel very scary (e.g. sudden weight loss of an infant / adjustment problems of your children). In both cases, it takes some time to get used to the new situation. I guess the support function of people in a similar situation is worth gold to many such people. I think my skepticism towards such groups is when they become the sole social network of a person, a la the moms with the moms only, the foreigners in their respective foreign groups only...
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