This will be my last column on new motherhood for Columbia Patch, but not my last article on Patch. 

Why am I stepping down from this great gig?

The short answer:

Time. 

In my role as associate local editor for Patch.com, I write stories about everything from how schools deal with peanut allergies to how many people are going hungry in Maryland.

In future weeks and months, I will also be helping coordinate more government coverage. These are big stories and big issues we’re tackling at Patch. I will be focusing more of my writing and editing efforts and time to those.

That means there is an opportunity for you, my readers in Columbia.

Maybe you would be a good candidate for the next “New Mom” columnist for Columbia Patch.

You should consider applying if any of these apply to you:

1)   You comment on my column a lot and find you have a lot to say about parenting.

2)   You have your own blog and would like to expand your readership by having a column on Columbia Patch.

3)   You enjoy sharing ideas about parenting, your personal experiences and interacting with other readers.

I did.

And I’ve been touched by the outpouring of comments and e-mails from people I’ve never met encouraging me to continue to breastfeed (I still do), get some more rest (I nap on the weekends), and, in general, enjoy the beautiful, profound journey that parenting has become.

Writing this column has made me feel not as lonely while I confronted the baffling mysteries of a new baby.

And there are tons of issues and questions I’d love to see another new mom or dad writer explore in this space:

How do you entertain a baby?

What issues do modern dads face?

How have things changed in the way nurses care for newborns in nurseries in the labor and delivery units of hospitals?

What adventures did you have as a couple before you had a baby that you can’t embark on now? How is your child a part of your new adventure?

Dinner time: How do you cope, and where are the best places for busy parents to get takeout in Columbia?

When you can tell a baby’s personality? What do babies do that show their dispositions?

I could go on.

There is just so much to write about. Parenting, in the modern world, is a complicated, exhilarating endeavor. There is a lot to debate, to consider, and to write about.

If you would like to be part of the team of writers sharing their views and knowledge on Columbia Patch, e-mail me at lisa.rossi@patch.com or the editor of Columbia Patch, David Greisman at david.greisman@patch.com.