Welcome! In This Season is a podcast dedicated to the community of Motherhood Minute and a way to continue the conversations we have in this space. Please consider supporting this project and future projects that help mothers build community!
In this episode, I interview Kate Middleton from
about building community in motherhood for the new series Nurturing Spaces. We discuss the challenges of finding friendship in motherhood and the importance of connection and support in raising children. We also discuss the role of kindness and intentional acts of building and sustaining community.“I'm sensing this even in our substack community; women are craving connection. We're craving that feeling of genuine friendship where we can support one another, to use your word, encourage each other…And just really be there for each other on an emotional, even spiritual level, if you will. I think that's so integral to the health of the mother and by extension the health of the children.”
-Kay M
Kay was an absolute delight to talk to for this project. She is a master connection builder on Substack and is happy to hear more from you! Please tag her in the comments and subscribe to her newsletter.
In this episode, we talked about her recent newsletter Allomoms and The Octopus Mom which is where you can find more links to the NPR article, research study mentioned, and more writers you should know about on this topic.
Questions Chanel asked in the episode:
Please give our listeners a bit of background about who you are, where you live, and the work you are passionate about!
I was originally planning to only do four episodes for this series but then you published Alloparents & The Octopus Mom and I felt compelled to talk about this more. Can you give us a brief overview of the subject and what drew you to it?
You’re working on a doctorate in Clinical Psychology and cited a study that “observed 18 young children age 0 to 4, for 12-hour increments. The study noted that, ‘crying was virtually always responded to rapidly via comforting and never via scolding. Children received physical contact and care for the majority of the day.’”
I couldn’t help but think about the interesting relationship between children needing comfort, the love hormone oxytocin, and mothers needing comfort themselves. For example, I’ve found that in the moments I’m struggling or touched out, my friends in motherhood have helped soothe me. How does having a community in parenting benefit us?One thing I have personally noticed in motherhood is a constant negotiation with where my energy can be spent, sometimes on an hourly basis. I’m curious how you navigate those challenges in your own life and what you’re learning about building your own community in motherhood.
What is one thing you would like to “set down” and one thing you would like to “pick up” in life in this current season?
Do you have any final thoughts on helping the mothers in this space learn how to build or sustain community in motherhood?
Please let us know your final thoughts and subscribe to stay tuned for more episodes and newsletters.
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