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Support for Mom
Groups Provide Encouragement and Friendship By Tracy B. McGinnis
After having her daughter, Caroline, Heather Meininger went from working on her master's degree, a part time job and an active social life to staying home all day with a beautiful baby with whom she was unable to communicate.
"The adult conversation in my life had taken a sharp decline," recalls Meininger. "I remember days when I would meet my husband at the door, baby in arms saying, 'Here ya go, she's been fed and changed. I'll be back in an hour,' and then I'd run out the door to a store or the mall – anywhere that I could do something adult-like. I loved staying home, but it was lonely."
Meininger isn't the only one who's gone through bouts of isolation and loneliness after having children. Hundreds of playgroups and support groups are sprouting up across the country to offer women (and their babies!) support and friendship.
"My world revolved around diaper changes and baby food," says Meininger. "My childless friends weren't interested. I decided I needed to make some mommy friends and turned to the Internet."
Eventually, Meininger came across another mom who was also trying to start a moms group. They decided to merge the two together and created Charlotte Mommies. "I printed up business cards and started spreading the word, and by the end of that first year we had 150 members," says Meininger.
It wasn't long before members started branching out into subgroups according to where people lived to make getting together easier. Meininger recruited volunteers to assist with planning, got an article in a local paper and a radio interview and watched her membership soar to 300-plus members. Currently the group is made up of more than 600 and it is expected to exceed 1,800 this year.
There is no cost to join and women participate in play dates, "Mom's night out," scrap booking, movie nights and have even partnered with local charities including YMCA initiatives, Race for the Cure and others.
