Create Your Very Own Parenting Posse

According to an article from Harvard Business Review, every mom who works outside of the home needs one thing: a parenting posse.

"This is a group of fellow moms and dads — at my kids’ school, in our neighborhood, and at the office — who support me in the extremely messy business of balancing my work and my home lives well," writes Alison Beard.

Even with flexible schedules and work-from-home options, parents still need others to help fill in the gaps, and those "posses" we create are part of what helps us survive.

So, how do you build one and use it effectively?  Here are some tips from Alison.

Engage

Build relationships with other parents in your circles--your work colleagues, other moms at school, etc.  "When you engage with a broad swathe of fellow parents, you widen everyone's circle of support."

Offer Your Help

"When we help people, they instinctively want to help us in return, and vice versa," says Alison.  Start simple--offer to set up post=practice carpool and handle the first run or volunteer to drop off much-needed supplies for the next class party.

Make the Ask

This is a hard one for many moms, but it is vital: get comfortable asking for help. "People like assisting others more than we realize," writes Alison. "Often, they don't consider it a burden. In fact, it makes them feel good...Don't underestimate how willing most people are to lend you a hand."

Learn from Others

As Alison suggests, we become better-working parents when we talk through our problems with others in the same position and listen to and learn from them.  These sessions can be impromptu but consider also planning regular check-ins with the inner circle of your posse."

Read more about how to cultivate your parenting posse here. And, let us know who is in your posse and how it helps you out.