Here are some fresh ideas on how to meet other moms like you! Community and fitness programs, playgrounds and much more!
Whether you spend long stretches of time at home alone with your children or whether you're busy-busy shifting between a job and family, motherhood can sometimes feel isolating. It's always good to have other buddy-moms to trade war stories, let out loud sighs, or put on party hats and jump on the couch with! (At least that's what your kids will think you are doing.)
Determine what you want from new mommy connections. Do you want intellectual stimulation, to let your hair down, talk about the kids, not talk about the kids, or simply just go out for dinner and a movie monthly?
- Look anyplace where children gather—moms can't be far behind!
- Look into playgroups that are designed not just for the kids, but also for moms looking to make connections, sip tea, and share a few laughs.
- Discover your neighborhood parks. The best time to go is midweek between late morning and lunchtime or right after lunch. On weekends, daddies often populate parks.
- Sign up for mommy-and-me activities at your gym, or join story-time at the library or bookstore.
- Some malls organize stroller walks for moms with small kids. If your mall isn't doing this, ask the community relations or PR person at the mall to help you start one.
- Are you a member of a church, synagogue, or other spiritual center? Look for moms dropping their children off at childcare during the services.
- Ask your pediatrician and OB-GYN, the hospital where you gave birth, or the agency you used to adopt, to help you connect with other moms in your area.
- Communicate with other moms at the mall or grocery store, or stroll through your neighborhood on a nice day, and suggest a play date with a mom you might meet.
- Put notices up on bulletin boards at your spiritual center, your childcare or a babysitting service, or at a children's clothing or toy company. You may want to consider putting your phone number or email on the flyer. You can also put a notice in a local parenting publication; look for notices already printed there, maybe another mom is looking to make a new friend, too.
- New to your area? Call the Welcome Wagon to see if they know of a moms group.
- Do you work in an office? Don't have time during the day for a playgroup? Gather up a bunch of moms in your office (you'll know them by the pictures of kids on their desks) and start a "Moms Do Lunch" club once a week.
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Need a quick fix? Want to talk to another mother who understands what it's like to be up with a colicky baby in the middle of the night? If you haven't already, check out chat rooms and message boards for mothers online. The women you'll meet online probably aren't around the corner, but you can share your thoughts with and get support from moms just like you. This can be quite a blessing when you're feeling lonely in the middle of the night, or day. Start right here at BabyZone!
- Once you're in a situation with other moms, smile, introduce yourself, and pick something to talk about that would be of interest to both of you ("Where did you find that great sand toy?" "Have you heard that pumpkins have a lot of beta carotene?")
- If you didn't feel at home with the first playgroup you try, try another group, or try the same one another day. Don't give up!
- Can't find an existing group? Start your own playgroup by gathering moms from all the sources listed above. Take turns meeting weekly at each other's houses or at the park during nice weather.
- Decide what time you want to meet, how long to meet for, and how to handle birthdays. Will you collect dues for communal snacks or bring your own? Whether to invite new members or limit membership should be discussed in advance.
- Gather all the families, including the daddies, a few times a year so your family friendships can deepen over time.
- Over 40? Mother of twins? Adoptive mom? Consider starting up a specialized group.