The first rule of Moms’ Club is…
You have to ignore the mess in the house of the mom hosting Moms Club. 😂
For the past couple of months, I’ve been trying to get local moms together at my house to hang out, drink coffee, and let the kids play. This idea wasn’t mine; I stole it from a friend in Ohio who had been having other moms over once a week for a play date and coffee. I think she might have been doing it with ladies at her church, but I don’t even know. I just saw MOMS, COFFEE, FRIENDS. Yessssssss.
I think these get-togethers are a great idea for a couple of reasons.
First, it can be lonely being a mom. Even though I have people talking to me, touching me, hanging on me, and asking me 8 million questions for approximately 13 hours a day, it’s harder to feel connected to other people. And the more I talk to other moms, the more I realize that I’m not alone in feeling that way.
I was talking to a friend who doesn’t have kids and I was telling her about how it’s hard to make and keep friends at this stage of life. She told her sister (who is single and also doesn’t have kids) about our conversation, and her sister responded with, “I have too many friends!” When I heard that, I thought (in a sarcastic voice), “Oh man, that must be terrible to have TOO MANY people who love and care about you!”
I get it, though. Everyone’s different situation comes with its own problems and challenges. If there are other moms who are feeling lonely, though, maybe we can just do what we’re already doing…but together. So come to my house, drink my coffee, and we can keep our kids from killing and injuring themselves and each other…together.
The second thing is that it’s tough to be a parent. I’m sure this has always been the case, but it seems like, especially now, you can always read, see, or hear (sometimes from random people at the grocery store!) about how you’re doing it wrong and ruining your children’s lives. Everyone has an opinion on the best ways to parent, and honestly, it can get nasty. And not just from well-meaning (or not so well-meaning) unsolicited advice-givers. Some of the harshest critics of moms…are moms.
So maybe we can all just be a little kinder to each other. Maybe we can stop being so hard on other moms and on ourselves. I’m praying hard that God will give me grace in the areas where I fall short as a mom, so I want to extend grace to other moms that I know too.
It’s hard to be distantly critical of someone else’s choices as a parent when you’re sitting and talking with them in your kitchen, which may or may not still have dirty dishes in the sink from Tuesday (ya’ll, don’t look in my sink). It’s hard to condemn that Mama you know who sometimes lets her 2-year-old eat 3 hot dogs for lunch (also me) when you’ve gotten to know her and she’s a friend.
Let’s learn from each other and correct each other when we can and it’s helpful, but let’s do it from a place of kindness. That’s part of what I want Moms Club to be.
There are a few people who live far away and keep saying they want to come–so do it where you live! You don’t even have to call it Moms Club–you can come up with your own dorky name. 🙂
So let’s review:
Come to my house.
Drink my coffee.
Let your kids play with my kids’ toys.
Let’s be together.
Let’s be kind.
Let’s be friends.