Monday, 30 September 2013
People Who are Bored on Maternity Leave Have not Tried any of These Social Groups
I had a year long vacation as far as I see it. I have two small children, very busy, very demanding and like the rest of you, very busy (did I say that already). As far as I was concerned, I had a darn good year off. It came as a great surprise to me when so many moms welcomed me back to work and said things like "you must be so happy to be back - wasn't Mat leave boring!". What was another one that made me look at them cock eyed, oh yea, "aren't you happy to have your life back, I mean kids 24/7 is sooo boring!", to which I generally responded, "sounds like you missed out!"
I have spoken with so many moms in this situation, none of them really embraced Maternity leave, or took full advantage of that year off to meet new people and learn new things. So I thought maybe a lot of people just don't have the right resources. Thus, I have taken it upon myself to compile a top 5 list of Nation wide resources for new moms, or even second or third time moms who maybe just didn't do it the first or second time around. It is never too late!
Momstown
My experience with momstown was very personal. I love this group. Their calendar is full of fun filled and educational stuff for kids from 0 to 6. I personally think it is designed to give moms a break and let them socialize while their kids socialise. But their mission statement really says it all: connecting real Canadian moms. One community at a time.Meetup.com
Meetup is the world's largest network of local groups. Meetup makes it easy for anyone to organize a local group or find one of the thousands already meeting up face-to-face. At Meetup you can join all sorts of groups, and locally! They don't even have to be "mom" related!
Meetup's mission is to revitalize local community and help people around the world self-organize. Meetup believes that people can change their personal world, or the whole world, by organizing themselves into groups that are powerful enough to make a difference.
Oakville moms
I know this is region specific, but I just wanted to give you ideas about looking into regional and local groups that may be in your community.
Oakville moms was established in 2006 and connects families from Oakville, Burlington, Milton, Mississauga and all over Ontario. The site features resources, contests, articles, free class listings, reviews, forum discussions, directory listings and so much more! Oakville Moms is known to introduce new companies into the community as well, so for those moms who take on a new venture while on maternity leave, this is a great resource for you too!
Local Libraries or Local Not for Profit Organizations
In my neighbourhood we have free programs every season catered to different age groups that are absolutely worth the time investment. Every one you meet there is in the same boat and the programs are more often than not run by ECE instructors. The library has morning readings and play groups, usually you can sign up at local community centres for free mom and baby classes, and finally there is always your local YMCA, which by the way rocks!
Facebook Groups
I have joined mom groups on Facebook, what a great way to get a community of people going. Using the newsfeed, moms are able to suggest times and places to meet and this normally becomes a regular routine! I would only join a group from referral though, because you just never know who may be messaging you, and you can never be too careful when it comes to online social groups.
Although all of these are not free (but pretty darn close to it), they are totally worth it to keep you in sanity check, also to keep you entertained, socialized and having fun. All that while raising your child and learning awesome parenting from a soon to be great circle of friends! Doesn't sound boring to me...does it sound boring to you?
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