I was a sorority girl in college. My Mom encouraged me to join Rush as a Freshman. I think she was concerned that I was going into a school with 44,000 students not knowing many people after graduating with 21 other students in my Senior class*. Thirteen of us had gone to school together since we were in first grade.
I begrudgingly joined Rush, not expecting to find anything. After all, I had more guy friends than girls in high school and wasn’t a part of any high school cliques. My weekends were spent at horse shows and my afternoons were spent at the barn, riding my horse Dewey. At the ripe old age of 17 though, I realized my Mom knew more than I did and I should give it a shot.
I felt awkward at Rush. These girls were SUPER polished and I barely knew how to blow dry my hair or put make up on. A week later though and after visiting 16 sorority houses I found my home for the next 4 (5 really) years, Zeta Tau Alpha. I learned how to be a sister and have girlfriends (I aso learned a really good blowout and how to put makeup one).
Fast forward to 12 years later, after I pledged a sorority in 1998 (oh my God I am getting old), I found another sisterhood. That of new Moms on Twitter. My Twitter friends talked me through breastfeeding issues, c-section recovery issues, co-sleeping and any other post-partum issue you could imagine. Without my Twitter “sisters” I doubt I would be cloth diapering or breastfeeding. It’s amazing what kind of support system you can find online.
My Mom even called me the other day to ask what web site I used for all my support with breastfeeding. KellyMom.com? “No, that Twitter site.” I tried to explain how Twitter works, but instead recommended she tell her cousin who is a nurse in a rural town in Vermont to have her new Moms visit Twitter and KellyMom.com for breastfeeding support. Twitter is awfully tough to explain to someone who thinks you spend way too much time on Facebook and the computer anyway. Without these resources I would have never have as much confidence in our breastfeeding relationship as I do today, and maybe a nurse recommending the same resources to a new Mom will help someone as much as it did me. I can only hope!
Since I don’t tell all of you enough, thank you friends for all of your support, advice & friendship!
* Just a shout out to my high schoolmate, Maria, over at mommymelee.com. She’s a Big Time Tweeter (I coined that term, thank you very much) & is an amazing writer. I always knew she was a great writer in high school, but I bumped into her on Twitter after having some mutual followers and love reading her blog. She’s a fantastic Mom, person & writer, you should read her blog if you don’t already!
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