The International Moms Club Might Just Save Your Sanity!

Although our society no longer has many true "rites of passage," there is one rite of passage that will always remain- parenthood. Particularly for women, it seems that having children instantly redefines one's identity; it changes you as a person, or at the very least, completely changes your life. Because motherhood is an experience like no other, Moms need a club like no other- The International Moms Club.

When I became a mom last summer, I began to feel like no one really understood what I was going through. None of my friends had kids, and as much as I appreciated my time on maternity leave, I was lonely. I loved being home with my son, but missed the social interaction I had previously enjoyed. Recently, I had a chance to talk to the founder of the International Moms Club, Mary James, and I realized how common my feelings were for a new mom. Twenty-four years ago, in 1983, stay-at-home-mom Mary James was experiencing the same feelings.

Being fairly new to the area, Mary didn't know anyone in Simi Valley and was sick of being at home alone with a baby and a preschooler. She wanted to find other moms in the same situation. Upon realizing that there was no support group for at-home moms, she decided to start her own. She placed announcements in the newspaper, posted fliers in doctor's offices and on bulletins boards, and soon she had her first meeting. While this first Moms Club started with only 11 moms meeting in a community room at the library, the club quickly blossomed. Two months after the club started, the local newspaper came to run a story; by then the Simi Valley Moms Club had over 30 moms and 60 kids involved! The International Moms Club now has more than 2,000 chapters in the US alone, and over 100,000 members!. (www.momsclub.org)