Why you should join a moms group

I'm not the kind of person who just gets out there and joins groups.  So when one of my friends told me to join a moms' group after I had my first son, I was very hesitant.  My first thought was, "Why?  I have all the friends I need.  I don't want to get myself out there and have to meet new people."  But the more I thought about it, I decided that since I was quitting my job to become a full time mom, that I needed to have some activities to get me out of the house.  So, I joined a new mother's support group through the hospital that I delivered my son at.  It was one of the best things I've done for me and my kids.

Reflecting back, here are all the reasons why new moms should join a moms' group:

1.  It gets you out of the house.  My group started out meeting once a week.  So I knew I had to get myself showered, dressed, presentable, and out of the house at least once a week (not to mention my baby and all his gear).  As the moms all got to know each other better, we met for coffee and walks in the park other days of the week.  More days I had to get my act together. 

2.  You meet new people.  I have to say, when I started the group, I had in the back of my mind, "if these women are freaks I can always quit".  We'll they turned out to be a nice bunch of sleepy eyed moms just like me.  And what do you know, we all had something in common---we were all first time moms with the same fears and anxieties. 

3.  You make life-long friends.  There are 5 of us who really connected and have stuck together for almost 3 years now.  OK, so it hasn't been a lifetime, but we've been through a lot together.  Not only do we get together weekly for playgroup with the kids, but we also go out for our "Girls' Night Out" every month.

4.  You all have kids the same age.  Another reason I was hesitant about joining a group was that I have plenty of friends with kids.  I figured I could just hang with them.  I've learned that there's something to be said for hanging out with people who are going through the exact same issues with your kids at the same time.  For example, right now we are all potty training our toddlers.  We constantly share tips, tricks, and treats.  When we are at each others' houses the kids get a kick out of using each others' potties.   I still get together with my friends who have older kids, and depend on them heavily for their sage advice, but it is nice to have friends to commiserate with while you are both in the thick of potty training (and scrubbing poop out of underwear).

5. Your kids have automatic friends.  My son has 4 best friends his own age.  They play so often together, there is no "warming up" period.  They take off and go.  My son did a co-op preschool with another girl from our moms group and they are now very close.  They are inseparable when they are together.  He's signed up for a different preschool for fall and I know he'll be very comfortable there because he's signed up with another boy from our moms group.

6. You learn from each other.  Since we are all going through the similar issues at the same time, we learn from each other's mistakes and successes.  We've also inherited (and/or shared) stylish maternity clothes and double strollers.