Groupies

In the area, there are many mom's groups. I am already involved in two such groups with specific goals in mind. LaLeche League for breastfeeding support and a local DFB group for support with elimination communication. There are also more general groups for area moms to gather together so kids can play and moms can talk. Some are free and some incur a fee for materials, organizational needs, and room rentals fees. I went to a "trial" meeting of one such pay-group yesterday. Before I continue, please understand that I see nothing wrong with these groups, I'm just not sure they're right for me and i wish to elaborate on why I feel that way. At the meeting yesterday, I met a lot of really nice people and I'm glad that I did. In fact, I'm planning to walk on occasion with one of the other moms who also lives off the trail, so am I cheating? Picking up friends for free? I hope not. I think it's important for Stay At Home Moms (SAHM) to build a network of others in the same situation and seek support. I also think it's tough to do that when you're new to an area and these groups offer a great service for just that. I will be a SAHM, but only for this first year and then it's back to work for me. My husband, Jeff, will then be a SAHD, but he'll still work around my work. It kind of bothers me that there are all these "mom's groups," but no "parent's groups," or even groups for stay at home dads. Or, I should say - none that I have been made aware of. Parenting is a tricky business and there are a lot of different theories on the "right" way to do it. Being able to meet with people that I know share some of my ideas makes it a little more comfortable to ask questions pertinent to our situation, whereas meeting in a general group, I felt a little guarded. I didn't want to make waves or talk about something that might upset someone else. Silly, since I'll write about it all here - but if you're reading this, I hope you understand that everyone makes their own decisions about what's right for their families and I know that I don't have it all figured out and probably never will, but first impressions...they can be tricky. So, of the three groups I looked into, there is one that is free (which makes the decision all that much easier in my opinion!): BuxMont Mommies. On this site, there are localized groups within the Bucks and Montgomery County areas and discussions on all different topics. There is a calendar with different events that members can add more events to invite others. I haven't actually done any of these events yet, so I guess I shouldn't proclaim its greatness just yet, but...it's free, so you can't really go wrong there. It's still a "mommies" group, but I know the world will catch up soon to be more inclusive of the daddies out there who want their kids to play too :)