Home » Partners & Parents » Parenting Preschoolers » Time for Mom

Time for Mom

© Holly Gumpher

Feeling a bit frazzled lately? Starved for adult conversation and interaction? Longing to eat a meal that you don't have to clean off of the floor and walls afterward? These are all common experiences of mothers with preschoolers at home. The key to not letting them overwhelm you is getting the encouragement and advice of other mothers like you. Oh, and getting away from the kids while you're at it!

Mohter's clubs are a great place to enjoy socializing with other moms while your children are cared for by other adults. Typical club activities include small discussion groups, mom's night out, crafts, and access to a "mentor mom", someone with older children who has "been there, done that and lived to tell about it." Clubs are an especially good choice if you do not know a lot of other moms where you live. Most charge modest membership fees, but will often allow you to attend one or two meetings free of charge before you decide to join. If you are interested in keeping your job skills up to date in anticipation of rejoining the workforce in the future, pay special attention to FEMALE: Formerly Employed Mothers At The Leading Edge (http://www.femalehome.org).

If clubs are not your thing, try connecting one on one with other moms you know. For example, you could babysit her kids one day per week, and she could babysit yours another day per week, freeing up an entire day for each of you. Would you like to have a night on the town without the cost of a teenaged sitter? Try trading nights out with another couple; you sit for them while they go out for dinner and vice versa.

Forming a playgroup or joining an existing one is another option. While the kids get the opportunity to learn to play with others, moms get the opportunity to chat in an informal environment. Places to look for existing playgroups or to recruit members for new ones include your church, your employer, the local library, community organizations for women and children, your pediatrician's office, and your neighbors.

Finally, check churches and other community organizations for babysitting services or Parents Day Out programs. These programs provide babysitting services for a fee while freeing you to run errands or do whatever you need while your children are cared for.

In today's mobile society, mothers with preschool children often feel isolated, especially if they are at home full time. Often we live far from family members who we would otherwise count on to give us a well deserved break. Luckily, other options exist, you have only to search them out and take advantage of them.

The copyright of the article Time for Mom in Parenting Preschoolers is owned by Holly Gumpher. Permission to republish Time for Mom in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.