At the time, I assumed my friend's response was normal. Now, I, too am a mother of small children and I realize that abandoning all intellectual stimulation is unnecessary and even, perhaps, unwise. Loving our children, however, does not mean that mothers must love themselves any less. With all the demands of motherhood, it's easy for mothers to neglect their own needs. But if you are bored and unhappy, you won't be able to give your child the wide variety of stimulation that research shows is best for children's mental development.
Mothers can find ways to continue doing interesting things after their children are born.
The challenge is to balance the needs of babies and children with adult interests. Field Trips Babies who don't yet walk are extremely portable. Now is the time to go places - it gets harder when babies start to crawl and walk. If you can, pick a time of day when your baby is usually good-tempered, such as after a nap. Or, conversely, go at naptime and nurse your baby to sleep when you get there.