Are you in a Parent's Support group??? (inspired by Oprah's show)

[Pembo]

After watching Oprah today, I wondered how many DIS'ers are involved with some kind of parenting group/playgroup/etc.

Since moving here 5 years ago I've been in a playgroup. It hasn't really supported me that much but has been more of just other mom's to meet at the park-kind-of-thing. I wish I could be involved in something that is more organized but after visiting many different groups in our area, nothing seems to be what I need.

So, if you are in an organized group...how did it start? how long has it been going on? Tell us your story.

 

[Kermit]

No baby yet, but I've started attending a local chapter of La Leche League. I love the ladies who go there. We all seem to think along the same lines. They all bring their kids, and the kids love to play together and look forward to the meetings. Many of them go out to a local buffet restaurant after the meetings to spend a little more time together. It will be a while before my baby is ready to join in and play, but I'm looking forward to it.

 

[DocRafiki]

What is La Leche League?

 

[tar heel]

I was in a babysitting co-op that evolved to include a play group for about 5 years. It was started by a mom who had been in one in another state. Besides sitting for each other, we had holiday parties for the kids, moms nights outs, parents nights out and a regular play group. The idea was both to provide social opportunities for members, most of whom were fairly new to town and to get to know people so you would feel comfortable leaving your child at their house. Our maximum membership was 20, then we raised it to 25. We did not want to go higher b/c of the logistics of hosting that many people for a get-together. When the waiting list got to be around 20, we spun off a new group. I went with the new group for geographical reasons. Eventually, the spin off died out for a variety of reasons: a couple people moved, some left b/c their kids aged out. Also, we had a large concentration of families in which the dads were in the same profession and it became automatic that any new families in that field joined. But some of these people really were not interested in the group and/or didn't need a babysitter. It has been at least three years since the group finally folded, and other co-op moms are still among my closest friends.

 

[binny]

I started a MOPS group here last year and really enjoyed that.

I have a few friends here that are all in the same boat as we are and we switch off babysitting, go out to eat, support each other in those ways. It really helps!!

La Leche is a breastfeeding group.

 

[disykat]

There was a Mom's Bible study group at my church that was kind of dying out when I started there. A bunch of the Moms with older kids were going back to work etc. so it was dwindling. It met two Tuesdays a month, so we started a playgroup for some of the Mom's with babies/toddlers on the other Tuesdays. Over the years we've continued Bible Study twice a month and done various things on the other Tuesdays such as quilting for charity etc. We even had a chorus going once a month for a while and we were pretty good! We did Mom's night out once a month for a while too. I don't go as much any more since I'm busier now that my kids are older (part time work, volunteering etc.) but these women are still my best friends. I don't know how I would have survived without them - plus it's fun. Every time we meet, people come from all over the building come to see what all the laughter is about! We live in a military area so some of the people change pretty frequently but the group has been going strong now for nine years.