New Parents Get More Than Gifts At Their First Baby Shower.
You don’t say! Really? Well! Let’s organize a baby shower. Thus starts the secret planning of the baby shower event. Before anyone knows what is happening, suitable sites are being researched. Plans are developed to dupe the unsuspecting mom into showing up at the appointed place on time. She will certainly receive some much needed gifts for her Little Miracle. But she will receive something else at that shower. She will join the network of new parents. That is one club that will be a lifesaver over the early months of her child’s life. The knowledge shared by these friends will reassure her when she is worried and confused about her new role. She will be put on the informal list of people to whom toys and clothes can be passed down. She will eventually pass on her baby’s used clothing to someone else who needs it.
When the shower night arrives, there is a real air of excitement and love in the air. All evening, silly games and activities will keep everyone involved in fun and laughter.
If she was unsure about whether she could rely on her friends for support, mom now realizes that they are all there for her and her baby. Tips and advice on baby care are soon shared. Mom starts to feel that she just may be able to pull this thing off
With military precision the shower rules are followed. The note-taker writes down who gave which gift. The hat designer sews ribbons and bows on an improvised hat for the mom to wear. This would all seem pretty silly to the uninitiated. But it has been done this way for so long because it works. Throughout the evening, the mom understands in her heart that she has reliable and knowledgeable friends who have her best interests in mind. They will do what she needs them to do when the baby arrives.
Baby shower gifts fall into two categories. Gifts from people who have had babies tend to be practical, useful and perhaps a little unexciting. Among these gifts are the supplies of daily diapers, perhaps a wireless baby monitor and a baby bath. These gifts are the ones that will be ripped from their packages by a bleary eyed new mom in the months to come. These are what she will need for the nitty gritty of baby care.
People who have not given birth and raised a newborn sometimes give gifts that are less than useful to the new mom. But these inexperienced gift givers are usually young people. They bring an energy to the group. They are the people who will gladly do some physically demanding activities with the baby. They will take baby out of the home so mom can rest.
Although the baby shower may have the appearance of a crazy ritual carried out by hysterical females, the hilarity disguises a very important message to the new, first time mom. She knows that the people involved are her friends. She can rely on them to help her cope with motherhood.