Maybe its an old photo that does it.
A picture of yourself in your previous life.
You suddenly wonder: How did I get here?
Heres how to raise your kids while holding onto your identity.
(And if youve already lost it, thats okay, toowell help you get your groove back.)
Make your friends a priority
In college and your early 20s, friendship was easy.
But the effort is almost always worth it.
Start rounding up your village even before your baby is born.
One way to do this is byhaving a postpartum party instead of a baby shower.
An easy way to sneak in face-to-face time is todo chores with your friends.
My husband and I sometimes go grocery shopping with a couple other families.
For that, we havea whole guide to friendship between parents and non-parents.
There are guidelines for both parties.
It sounds extreme, but kids can overwhelm a relationship.
But youre tired, and, once again, you have no time.
And if thats a date morning so you might drink coffee thats still hot, so be it.
Have second dinner together.
Play Cards Against Humanity post-bedtime.
Practice saying no (read ourparents guide to setting boundariesfor ways to do that).
You mightgive them a playlist of your favorite songs.
Youre not trying to impress a music critic, writes Lifehacker contributor Geoffrey Redick.
Be honest, even if when honesty is cheesy.
Youre telling the story of your life.
Or you canask your kids for advice when you have a setback.
Workplace relationships have a surprising amount of similarity to elementary school relationships.
Remember that even if youve added parent to your many titles, youre still you.
Sometimes, you just need a little refresher.
