Why you Need A Black Mommies Group (The Mahogany Mommies)
MBBA Parenting while Black
Friends enrich every stage of our life, but friendships during motherhood are a life jacket that keeps your head above water. “After you have a child, your life seems to revolve around your kitchen and bathtub,” says Susanna Sonnenberg, author of She Matters: A Life in Friendships. “Just getting a meal on the table can be a big deal.” Friends can remind you that you once biked across Ireland and convince you that you won’t always be a walking zombie covered in banana pulp.
In fact, studies have shown how important friendships are to our mental as well as our physical health. UCLA researchers, for example, have found that in times of stress women don’t simply opt for “fight or flight,” as decades of research on men had suggested; instead, women lean heavily on social support from friends. Another study of participants from Harvard Medical School’s long-running Nurses’ Health Study suggested that women who are socially isolated have an increased risk of dying after a breast cancer diagnosis.
Unfortunately, though, nurturing the friendships you have and making new friends can seem like more of a challenge now than ever — no matter how frequently you check your Facebook feed. “Social media let us communicate with friends even when we’re miles apart, but there’s no substitute for spending time together in person,” points out Irene S. Levine, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine and author of Best Friends Forever. Whether you’re a brand-new mom or life has thrown you into a different neighborhood or situation, you can learn from the way other mothers have tackled these common friendship hurdles.
studies have shown that the best way to choose and make friends is having a moms group, agree or not, you need moms to tell you about their experienceS and recommendations, where you can get advice on issues of motherhood, the best restaurants in town to have dinner, the best places for date night or the best spices to make a good dish, from the little details to important details you might need, there is always a mom that has been through what you haven’t been through.
when fighting your inner battles, sometimes engaging yourself with your mom group can keep you from feeling so down and out, this helps moms who are going through postpartum depression to a quick recovery, knowing that you are not alone, most especially for black moms who have to device a means of bringing up their black kids in the society we find ourselves today. you need a moms group that gives tips on all that. Recently we’ve pick interest in a momma group called the MAHOGANY MOMMIES. we got to know more about this group that seems to be a very supportive mommy group for black moms.
ABOUT THE MAHOGANY MOMMIES
The Mahogany Mommies Page is the blossom of a seed that was planted as a result of two friends who were not only embracing the indescribable joys of motherhood but also coping with the very real obstacles that come with being a mother. Joi, a business owner, art enthusiast and Brooklyn based teacher of three and Kelley, a Chicago stylist, accessories artist, and mother of one would frequently communicate to provide emotional support and words of motivation to encourage one another. Motherhood isn’t for the fate of heart, and in many cases requires a community of emotional investors. Black motherhood has historically been layered and weighted with systematic conditions and generalizations often applied to women of color. Kelley and Joi recognized that other mothers were most likely battling some of the same obstacles, embracing similar joys, often suffering in silence, and trying to define what a “good mother” is. Also, in our society when other races are birthing and mothering children they’re frequently celebrated, but often times, Black Mothers are not valued, many times stigmatized. We’re viewed as “Baby Mamas”, “bad parents”, or defeminized as strong, angry mothers of deviant children. Black Mothers regardless of marital or economic status, are putting in work to ensure their children are productive, loving beings. This is how the blossom of the “Mahogany Mommies” page came to be. The page was established to curate images of black motherhood from a beautiful, yet real perspective and to provide inspiration to other black mothers.
To define Motherhood and her challenges and Joys of mothering, Joi stated that “Motherhood is love personified and beautiful in countless ways, but it’s also hard as hell. That’s why I define Motherhood, as the “Beautiful Struggle”. As a single mom at 19, I learned early on the challenges of motherhood and I’ve strived to not allow my mothering to limit my ability to live my life. With my kids as my motivation, I was able to accomplish many of my goals with the help of my family and my faith in God. As a mother, I teach and encourage my children and students to be intentional about living their ”Best Life”, enjoying the present, and to always push through. With my oldest son about to leave for college, I reflect on every time I struggled, I cried, I prayed for help, and my conversations with myself to push through…And it was ALL worth it.” For Kelly, who’s the mother of an adorable 17-month-old son, she describes her Motherhood journey and son by stating “He is the light and I don’t remember life before him. He has made my life better. As a mom and a full-time accessories artist, my life is extremely colorful. I’ve taken my son on photo shoots, video shoots, meetings, art shows and the list goes on. I am thankful that I made it this far. There is a new challenge every day. We are doing our best. We have a tribe so strong, that I know we will always live in abundance.
OUR GOAL is to provide a platform for black mothers to share stories, words of encouragements, tips & lessons, and their definition of motherhood, to essentially shine a light on the beautiful layers and aspects of Black Motherhood.
Get in touch with mahogany mommies on Instagram @ mahogany_mommies.
Email on mahoganymommies@gmail.com