How to Meet Other Stay at Home Moms » Parent Plaza

Many stay at home moms feel isolated. They spend so much time with their kids that it's easy to feel that way. And if you don't already know some fellow stay at home moms, it's often hard to find them.

Where are they? Besides at home, that is.

Try the Park

I've run into a lot of my fellow SAHMs by taking my kids to the park. The trick is in figuring out what time they are going to be there.

I kept missing the other moms for a long time at the park. There were just never there when I was. But I always tended to go at lunchtime or later in the afternoon.

I finally started going to the park with my youngest after dropping my oldest off at kindergarten. Voila! There they were, also having their younger children play after dropping older children off at the school next door.

Try Activities

Yes, this costs money. But I've gotten to talk to a lot of other stay at home moms when I've been able to sign my kids up for activities. This especially works when the kids are younger and you have to stick around for the class. As a rule you'll see other stay at home parents, the occasional part time employed parent, and grandparents having fun with their grandchildren.

Try Online

You won't meet so many local moms as a rule, but there are plenty of forums and websites dedicated to stay at home moms. The Internet is full of resources and great people for you to meet. You can be very open about who you are or keep relatively anonymous.

There are also websites that can help you to get matched up with local moms. Just search on "mom groups" and you will find some great resources to help.

Take a Walk

Take a walk at various times of the day in your neighborhood. It can be hard to find other moms out for a walk with their kids sometimes, but it can be done. If you find a fellow stay at home mom, try walking together regularly. It can be a chance to get to know each other even before trying out a play date.

The great part is that many of these are free to do. Others may cost a small amount, but can be worth the expense if they're fun for you and your child. As you get comfortable making the effort, you'll realize how many potential friends you and your child have out there. And you won't feel so isolated.

About The Author :

Stephanie Foster blogs at http://www.homewiththekids.com/blog/ about being a stay at home mom. Her site has a forum for stay at home moms.

Associated News Items

Music to soothe troubled souls (The Sudbury Star)
Joel Mackey would rather see youth learning to play an instrument than making daily appearances at his workplace. Mackey is a court reporter and, in response to the number of teens he sees in court, he started a program to provide them with free music lessons as part of their rehabilitation. ...more

East Naples man gets 6 months for burning boy with spoon (Naples Daily News)
An East Naples man who burned a 7-year-old boy’s stomach with a hot spoon was sentenced Friday to six months in a county jail and ordered to take a parenting course. Collier Circuit Judge Elizabeth Krier meted out the term after 25-year-old Roni Lopez Barrios pleaded no contest to child abuse. ...more

Mental health providers see more need, less funding LOOKING FOR ANSWERS: PART 2 (Mooresville/Decatur Times)
In light of the April 17 Virginia Tech shooting, mental health advocates say more emphasis should be placed on screening programs in schools to identify teens with mental illnesses, but getting those programs into schools will take a change in attitude about mental illness. ...more

Richmond County Teen Have Curfew (NBC 26 Augusta)
Law Enforcement wants parents to know about teen curfew. ...more

The gender gap narrows as girls take to violence (Albany Times Union)
Assaults are on the rise among female teens, and officials hope to nip the problem in the bud ...more