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I have found that working at home can be very lonely at times. My friends either have no children, they had kids ages ago and they are in school all day, or they work full-time and their children are in daycare. Not many opportunities for play dates there. Having a support structure of other moms with children about the same age as my daughter has been very important to me though.

I have been fortunate in that I have found a group of about six other moms with children that are all within a few months of age of my daughter.
Recently we have started to get together at each other’s homes for a weekly playgroup. It has been wonderful for my daughter to be able to enjoy some free play with other kids and it is always novel to play with other kid’s toys.

For the moms though, it has been a breath of fresh air. We get a break from the routine of being home and we get a chance to chat and relax. There is coffee, snacks, and usually a pizza for lunch. We can talk about things the bother us and find sympathy. We can also brag about things our children are doing and get heartfelt praise.

I was lucky to meet all these families at our local baby and mom classes at Gymboree. Most of us have been going since our children were just a few months old. At first we would smile and say hi. Then we would chat a bit about the weather and any “firsts” our babies were doing. Asking to get together outside of class was one of the most nerve wracking things I have ever done though. What if she doesn’t like me? What if she already has plans? What if she doesn’t need another friend?

All of those fears were so unfounded though. I found out later on that all the other moms were just as lonely as I was, but also afraid of rejection. Asking the first mom I clicked with to lunch after class turned out to be one of the best things I could have done, for both me and my daughter.

How have you meet other moms? Did you find it easy to ask them over for a play date? I know it may seem difficult, but I highly recommend asking another mom you know out for coffee next time you see her. Chances are she has wanted to do the same.

Warmly,
Mia