No Mom is an Island

It’s a bit of a paradox: Moms of young children seldom get any alone time. And yet — for many women — this stage of life feels lonely. Moms who stay home with young kids miss out on the friendships they had in the workplace. There’s no one around to commiserate when the kids are on your last nerve.

Mom friends offer support and help normalize the surreal moments of motherhood, so you don’t start to think you’re losing your mind. These are the people who understand the frustration of finding your toddler in the bathroom with an open bottle of bright blue nail polish. They don’t dis you when you show up at the park with bed head. And they want to weigh in on your discipline dilemmas.

If you don’t have a mom-posse to back you up, it’s time to find (or create) one. There are lots of ways to make connections. Here are some places to start.

• Moms Club International – has local chapters all across the country
• Meetup.com – lists groups by interest; find a mom-friendly book club if playgroups aren’t your thing
• Moms Club Worldwide Directory
• Café Mom – get advice from other moms or share your mom confessions
• Circle of Moms – link up with Facebook mom friends
• University of Moms – courses and support to help you put yourself back on the priority list
• Mothers of Preschoolers – meets in churches nationwide
• Moms’ Groups by Birth Dates at Babycenter.com and Babyzone.com and Parents Magazine
• Support For Working Moms at workitmom.com and  meetup.com
• National Organization for Mothers of Twins Clubs – because

Check in with your mom friends on a regular basis. Share your stories and listen with your whole heart. It really *does* take a village.