May 20, 2010

My Mothers Group

I went out last week. Out for dinner. It's unheard of really because my social life consists of supervising the school disco.


Along with my mothers group friends, we went to a fancy restaurant with divine food, company and atmosphere. I dressed up. I ate dessert, and slid back in the leather chair relaxed and fulfilled.

My mothers group. We met when Miss D (aged 9) was two weeks old. All first time mothers, we met once a week - every Tuesday for morning tea, or lunch. We would arrive with something delicious to share, and place our blankets and babies on the floor around us while we chatted.

I will never forget this time, and how invaluable it was to me. I was a very nervous, clueless first time mother. Even though I had worked in child care, it's never the same once you have your own.

I lived for every Tuesday because we could compare our babies, and by this I don't mean who had the prettiest baby or anything as shallow as that.

Instead, we asked advice, gave support, and compared notes on who had the hardest night before with an all night screaming baby. As Miss D never slept, I would say that would be me.

Some of the things we did included morning tea or lunch, pram walks through the park, mum and bubs movie mornings, baby massage, swimming, glamour photo shoots,ten pin bowling and the list goes on.





As the babies grew and started crawling, it made lunches at yummy restaurants difficult so we stuck more to the parks and each others homes.

We now try to meet in the holidays at the park, and only recently we watched as a newish mothers group armed with prams and babies on blankets chatted in the sun. My friend and I commented that it made us kind of sad because that time of our lives was over. It was fleeting. Our days of one baby in the park were gone because now we had 1,2 3 or 4, part time or full time work and after school sports.

We were 10 ladies and between us now we have 25 children. We try to meet formally at least once a year and this dinner was 6 months in the making.

These get togethers are so important because not all of us are in day to day contact.

At the birth of our first child - at the most amazing and breathtaking moment of our lives, when it can sometimes be overwhelming and emotional, these girls were a godsend to me and the memories I have will only make the time more special.

(Me 9 months pregnant and ready to pop...)


13 comments:

Anonymous said...

So nice to hear a positive story about Mothers Groups for a change, everyone's usually quick to share a negative or two :) Sounds like a great group you ladies have!

Ms. G said...

It really is lovely that you have all made the effort to stay connected even if you aren't together on a regular basis anymore. That doesn't seem to happen often.

Anonymous said...

how wonderful that you still get together. What a great group :)

Just Add Walter said...

wow, this is awesome. you are lucky to have such wonderful women in your life!

Diminishing Lucy said...

I can relate to this post so well. Lovely!

Kakka said...

I love the fact you have had these ladies (and their children) in your lives for so long and that you had each other's support - Didn't happen back when my children were young. I know my eldest daughter is really missing her mother's group now she and her family have moved back to Perth after living in Sydney for so long. Thanks so much for sharing these great pics and the story. xxx

Confessions of a Closet Hoarder but you can call me Judy said...

What a neat and beautiful thing you share with these ladies in your life! I look forward to future updates of your kids graduating, getting married, having babies and the like. :)

Unknown said...

your post gave me goosies!! I think we have the best mothers group in the world xoxox

Powdered Toast Man said...

Now you got me in the mood for babies. No, not to eat. I want my own babies.

Tracie said...

I wish I'd had a Mother's Group when my oldest was a baby. It would have helped with my loneliness and anxiety so much.

Jen at Semantically driven said...

My mother's group was a bit of a lifeline for me when the lad was a baby because I was on my own and having adult company, adults in the same baby boat as me, was great. I don't keep in touch with my lot any more due to commitments etc.

I remember those days in the park with fondness. How quickly they grow.

dysey70 said...

Oh that made me want to cry, where have the years gone?! We were like deers in the car headlights, so scared and wondering what we were doing with these brand new babies we had produced. You guys were my lifeline, my sanity and my only friendships with all I was going through. I loved my sleepovers at your place, getting the babies down early so we could drink wine, go thru our birth stories (again) and chatting. You got me through the hardest time of my life and you are all there again for me. Where did those babies go, we don't feel any older, yet the photos tell us different. Hopefully we will be doing a 15 and 20yr photo as well.

Farmers Wifey said...

Aww now THAT makes me want to cry..oh yes the sleepovers!! and how many times do we recall the birth stories!!