Have You Joined a MOMS Club?

Before I had kids, one of my favorite friends mentioned that she and her one-year old son had a fire station tour on the calendar.  I thought – how fun, how do you get to do that?  She said that she was part of a Moms Club and that was just one of their monthly activities.

MOMS Club is an international organization with local chapters designed to support the stay-at-home mom. When my kids were about one-year-old, I remembered this little tidbit about the fire station tour that I had filed away, and it was my primary reason for joining MOMS Club.

MOMS Club is a great way to take advantage of group activities that I would not be able to do individually with my kids. Little did I know there would be so many other benefits…

1.  I did not realize how much I needed support from other moms.

I think the biggest thing I struggled with as a stay-at-home mom was loneliness. I mean there were a million other struggles but knowing that I could get out of the house and just meet up with some other moms was a big deal. As I got together with other moms more frequently, my other struggles seemed to diminish!

2.  I have made GREAT friends.

Today I still have many friends from MOMS Club –or was it that MOMS Club was so awesome that I got all my friends to join? I am also still a member and excited about the new friends I am making now!

3.  My kids have made GREAT friends.

I first joined the club when my now eight-year-old twins were about two-years-old, and they are still good friends with kids from the club! In those fundamental years, they really bonded with their playmates from the club. I hope that my younger two will have the same experience.

4.  I learn so much from other moms.

It seems like every event I attended, I learned something new. It wasn’t always parenting related; sometimes it was just a new place to try for date night or a new book to read when the kids were asleep. But I also learned about the latest baby gear that I didn’t have time to read about on my own, best practices for potty training, what preschools were worth checking out, and now the best kid-friendly apps for my iPhone!

5.  I feel good because I know I am helping other moms.

Being a stay-at-home mom after working many years, I found myself wondering if I was making a difference in this world. And obviously yes, every mom makes a difference through the child she raises. But I am really a lot happier if I am helping others.

MOMS Club was a great way for me to give back to the community by providing support for other moms. During my tenure with MOMS Club, I was a board member for several years making sure to keep a calendar full of events for all the members. But even now as “just a member,” I know that just by showing up at an event and introducing myself I might be helping a mom in the same way someone once helped me.

6.  The events are always fun.

There are so many activities I would probably  have never tried if not for MOMS Club. There were absolutely some duds and some that didn’t WOW the kids but even the less exciting ones were still fun. Some of my favorites are the firehouse tour, weekday reservations for Connor’s Amazing Acres, grape picking, Diamond D Ranch, a private lunch at Outback Steakhouse learning about Australia from rugby players, craft days, pottery painting, gingerbread house decorating, Jacksonville Suns tour, Trunk or Treat, St. Patrick’s Day Parade, and the annual Easter Egg Hunt.

7.  I love the group discounts.

Being a part of group of moms helped us qualify for many group discounts. I still help the club with these events because it is such a great deal. For example, we do Disney on Ice every year and with our group discount, we get a small discount on tickets but all service charges are eliminated.  That’s a huge savings right there!

8.  My kids get to give back to the community through service projects.

I love to find ways to make my kids aware of the needs of our community. MOMS Club requires each chapter to do service projects on a regular basis. Through the years we have supported many local charities with school supplies, teddy bears, toiletries, food, and lots more. My local club would go caroling or trick-or-treating at a nursing home, spreading some toddler love to all its residents! It’s nice to have a way for my kids to begin learning how they can make a difference with simple acts of kindness.

Whatever your reason, join a club. You will be glad you did. My experience was with MOMS Club, and there are many different chapters all over Jacksonville.

MOMS Club Jacksonville – Intracoastal

MOMS Club Jacksonville – Mandarin SE

MOMS Club Jacksonville – Orange Park/Westside

MOMS Club Jacksonville – Ponte Vedra – No website; contact [email protected]

MOMS Club St. Augustine – North

MOMS Club Fruit Cove

Do you not see one in your area?  Consider starting one by visiting momsclub.org!  Are you already in a MOMS Club?  What’s your favorite reason why you are glad you joined?