You guys. We did it. We made it through another St. Louis winter and we are now being rewarded with long days of sunshine and warmth (and, yes, some rain, flooding, and a funnel cloud or two spinning through the area). Of course, at some point, we’ll get past Spring and we’ll experience St. Louis summertime – heat, humidity, and SO MANY ACTIVITIES.
Much like bears coming out from hibernation, moms, with their cubs kids in tow, are re-emerging into the outdoors anxious to visit parks, pools, festivals, and everything else summer in St. Louis has to offer.
Then, there are some moms who, despite scrolling through her Facebook feed filled with so much to do and seeing energetic families experience the fun amongst others, would kind of prefer to continue hibernation instead of enduring the awkwardness of going out in public and interact with people.
You guessed it. I’m one of those long-hibernating moms.
Blame it on being an introvert and taking a long time to warm up to people, mixed in with a solid helping of social anxiety. People make me tired. And the pressure to be around people, enjoying St. Louis summer fun is oftentimes overwhelming.
Don’t get me wrong – I am obsessed with going outside when the weather is agreeable. My favorite summer weekend mornings start well before 7a.m. when the sun is coming up and I can toss my toddler in the stroller and go for a run. Playing in the backyard, going for a wagon ride with Grandma, or a “drive” in the Cozy Coupe around the neighborhood – all acceptable activities for this mom. But, put me in a planned, organized situation with other kids and moms and I’m a little bit of a stress mess.
I question myself and my decisions to avoid social situations almost daily – am I doing my child a disservice by opting for solo activities vs. being amongst the crowd? Does she feel left out? And the worst one – will my child grow up to be anti-social like her mom?
Oof.
It’s not all doom, gloom, and guilt over here. I learned long before I had a child that I need to make a concerted effort to not be a complete shut-in by looking for activities that
- Truly interest me
- Are convenient
- Allow me to be around people who have similar introvert tendencies, and therefore appreciate the art of not always speaking or being ok with silence
- Leave me feeling fulfilled, not depleted
Luckily, including my daughter in whatever I do has helped with #4. And with careful analysis of how much time I can commit to social activities, and a combination of the criteria above, we fill our warm weekends with activities that (I hope) make my daughter happy as well as allow me to avoid awkward situations and unnecessary stress.
I’ll continue to be a work in progress – trying to balance the guilt of being an introvert impacting my daughter against keeping myself sane keeps my brain spinning, but in the meantime, I’ll put on a brave face and attempt some new places and adventures for the sake of my daughter’s growth. Plus, I’m willing to bet St. Louis summers only get better when we’re side-by-side with our little ones, and that’s an experience I don’t want to miss.
