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Home › Articles › Motherhood › Mom Mentors

Mom Mentors

Parenting Organizations Nurture Mom and Family

By Jackie Perrin

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I was a new mom on temporary leave from a fast-track career. My life had been turned upside down by a 9-pound bundle of energy, and the typical insecurities of a first-time mother were rampant in my mind. Was I making enough milk to feed my baby? Would I ever get my figure back? What would happen if I didn't return to work as planned?

These anxieties, and many more to come in the course of my daughter's development, were met and quelled head-on by the advice of a group of angels, otherwise known as Mom Mentors. The friends that I made through my local parenting support group – from the time that my baby was just three months old – have guided me along on this incredible journey called parenthood.

Changing Times, Changing Roles
My mother raised three children in a suburban neighborhood where 95 percent of the families were married couples, and mom stayed at home full-time to care for the kids. The block we lived on was a communal playground, and moms swapped childcare duties and met for morning coffee.

The neighborhoods that we of the post baby-boom generation recall are mainly history. In most areas of the country, there have been drastic changes in family dynamics, as well as a marked increase of women in the workforce. In addition to the day-to-day challenges of parenting, women in their childbearing years are faced with balancing work and family and providing some semblance of family life in a transient community structure.

Enter parenting support groups, which in recent years have experienced a dramatic membership increase. In Rochester, NY, alone over a five-year period, MOMS Club chapters went from one city-wide group to 10 town-centered charters. With few exceptions, parenting support groups are open to persons of all backgrounds. Bringing members together is a common desire to reach out and receive support as they rear their children. Three national organizations stand out in serving the changing needs of a diverse population.

Moms Who Help

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