Stay at home mom Isolation

I have been thinking about this for some time, trying to think how I would word this post. So, I'm just going to jump in and go for it. Being a stay at home mom (SAHM) with no car is a very isolating occupation.

I am not saying I don't love being a SAHM, I do. I LOVE my kids. But being home all the time is lonely and the walls can close in on me very quickly. Does this mean I want to work outside the home? Not even close.

I have had to ask myself again and again, how do other women do this without going crazy? How did our moms do it, or even our grandmas?

The truth is, overall, they didn't do it alone. As I sit here in our house on a cul-de-sac, I have realized that I am the only one home during the day with my kids. Maybe there are other moms that are home in our area, but not in my immediate vicinity.

This was not the case when we were children, or when our parents were children. On any given day, the kids could all play outside together and the moms could chat and just be neighborly. Today, we have to schedule play dates, coordinate calendars, and drive to a central location.

Back in the day, all the moms on the block were home, so there was never a sense of isolation that SAHMs have today. You didn't have to worry about sending your kids outside, because there was always a mom peaking out her window keeping an eye on things. And you always had another adult to talk with during the day. You didn't have to strain yourself with toddler and babies waiting for real conversation when your husband came home from work.

I love being a SAHM, but I really dislike the lack of social interaction that it provides. Are there any easy answers? Not really; this is 2013, not 1960 or 1980. I cannot expect or hope that I will have a cul-de-sac full of SAHMs, but I also know I am not the only one with this problem.

In the world of two working parents, facebook and online forums have become the new next door neighbors. Now we just have to find a way for the kids to find some IRL friends.