Am I Just a Parent?

Once you’ve crossed the Rubicon to parenthood, everything changes. Or at least it feels that way for a while. Your body changes, your priorities may shift, your relationships evolve. What was once so all consuming–work? friends? late nights partying?– may have a very different importance now. Maybe those things that you used to value so highly are no longer so prized. 

You may also wonder, do I have anything interesting to say to non-parent friends and colleagues? Am I just a parent? Do I have anything in common with these people?  Is that necessarily true or if so, is it a bad thing?

Questions and worries about your identity are extremely common during major life changes. It’s understandable to feel trepidation when entering new territory. Here are a few ideas for navigating this time.

1. Your time is precious. Use it wisely. Consider what you want to be doing and who you want to spend time with. Then calendar it or reach out to those folks to make sure that it happens. Or doesn’t happen, if it’s not where you want to dedicate your energy for now. You can always reevaluate later.

2. Take stock. Are there activities that you have set aside that you wish to resume? What brings you joy? How can you build these back into your schedule?  What do you need to make it happen?

3. Holiday/work party/playground convo anxiety? Have a couple of anecdotes about your life and questions about others to share in your back pocket. People love talking about themselves and if you’re a good listener it’s a great way to foster a sense of connection.

Of course, this is just the tip of the iceberg! You’re very welcome to reach out to discuss this further with me. 

Warmly,
Olivia