With only a few weeks to go before my second baby arrives, it’s impossible to hide my ginormous baby bump and the discomforts that surround the last month of pregnancy, such as walking, sitting, standing, carrying my 2-year-old, and well, breathing! So now, more than ever, I hear the words from many friends and family that echo in my head with insincerity: “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help!”
I’m calling bullshit.
You see, I’ve been here before. When I was pregnant with my first child, I was astounded by these glorious words from close and distant friends alike. I found it beautiful that so many people wanted to provide support and relief during what I was sure would be a tremendous life transition ahead of me. Who knew that so many people cared? Who knew so many people would go out of their way?
Reality check: Most of them don’t.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I’ll be the first to tell you it takes a village to raise small children. It took me two years to find my village and get the balance and support I needed to maintain my sanity and be a functional mom. But a lot of those two years included filtering the bs-ers from the genuine helpers. It was deciphering people’s sincere offers to babysit, plan playdates, or provide an ear to listen when I was having a bad day, from just words to fill the dead air.
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