Suck in all the experience you can from all the sources you can!! (Parental Support in general)

Member Name: KELLY170980

Product:	Parental Support in general
Date:	06/11/08 (68 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Go to clubs etc and meet people that become life long friends in many cases and a great support.

Disadvantages: It takes a lot of organisation, as getting snacks, bags, clothes etc ready but its so worth it

As parents, it's so hard sometimes to know where to turn when you are having a problem with your child, or sometimes when you are just feeling isolated and alone as can often happen in any mothers or fathers time when being the main care giver of their children.

There are always places where you can gain support, its just a matter of looking for them and also having the motivation to do this, I wish I had done this before slipping into post natal depression, as would have maybe not stopped me getting post natal depression but may I may have had the support to have been able to diagnose it quicker and also had people to lean on in my darkest hours.

The best place of support I have found is local play groups, I was brave and went on my own and the first time I was a little nervous and did not speak to many people but as the weeks went on, I made so many friends, and was invited to their houses for play dates, and to birthday parties, body shop parties etc, and this really helped me as there was so many other parents who had felt the same isolation as myself and some of the mothers there also worked the same as me and gave me lots of advice on how they have learnt to deal with the guilt they feel for working when they are a parent.

If you are feeling isolated or just want to meet some new people and to get support and advice then call your local health visitors office or even your GP office and they should be able to point you in the right direction for local play groups, mother and toddler or mother or baby groups etc.

You can also try the local library, I'm not sure about all libraries across the UK, but ours does many little clubs, like the breast feeding café, singing and stories with sally, book clubs for older children and adults etc, these are great fun and I really enjoyed taking both of my children to these events, they both love books as do I, and it was really nice for me to see that they have inherited this from me, and gave me a great boost as at the time I was feeling a bit useless and that I was a bad mummy (unfortunately a symptom of my depression) and this made me realise that I was not a bad mum and have gave my children so much, not just love but important life skills and hobbies.

My advice for any parent is to make friends with other people in your situations and you can do this in many ways, my hubby sometimes goes to daddy and toddlers with a friend of ours at the local parent centre and also at the weekend if I need some time to do some housework or just need a bit of "me" time he will take the kids down to the local soft play centre and again there are lots of other dads and mums in there for exactly the same reasons.

I have also made many friends through my sons dance school and have become involved in the charity work for the school and that has been really good because not only do you gain loads of friends for support but you also give support to others also and there is nothing better than that feeling you get in your tummy when you know you have genuinely made a difference to someone's life.

There are also many websites you can try, if you prefer to chat online firstly, some of the better ones are netmums.co.uk, mumszone.co.uk and mama.co.uk and also activedads, I personally think its better to get out there, but I know some people do not find this easy and also if you do not live in an area that has this type of support structure there then the internet can be a good source of support.

I also must say that dooyoo, is also a tool that I would recommend to parents looking for support as there are some terrific mums and grandmas and dads etc on here, you only have to look at i am joy or kingfisher111 or honestbob and many many more to realise there are some brilliant community members with a wealth of experience and I know by just reading some their reviews that they have inspired me at times.

Also gain knowledge from your families, my mum and mother in law have gave me so much advice, not that i have always taken it, but sometimes just hearing it helps.

Summary: There are many many sources of support you just have to know where to look for it