Your child is starting Kindergarten! It is an exciting time, but for any mom, it is also hectic, even a bit overwhelming. There are so many questions and you wish that you had other mom friends to reach out to for support and guidance. Help make the transition to having a school-aged child by organizing your fellow moms into a Perfect Moms group.
Why do you need a Perfect Moms Group?
This simple act will encourage you to grow out of your comfort zone. To become friends with other moms. I know they feel the same way you do. As a mom, I was nervous for the beginning of Pre-School, probably more nervous than my son. Why was I nervous? Because I had to meet new moms, adjust to a new environment, a new school a new teacher. All of these things are essential when launching your kid into academia. A parent needs to know the parents as much as your child needs to know their new classmates. They are your school family.
When I sat down with my husband to determine where we would send our children for our education we focused on a place that we could be for the long haul, a place that we could put down roots, where we could grow as a family. Even though we found a place we felt comfortable, that was when the real work began.The amount of paperwork needed in a digital world is simply stunning.
I struggled with school growing up and because of it, all of those nervous feelings wondering if I was fitting in the hopes that I would have friends. The simple truth? Most of us struggled with school and the inherent want to simply belong. Those feelings don't end simply because you are a mom.
For the first four months I muddled along, said, "Hello!", when I could. I put on a pleasant enough face. But, if I had to grade myself, my involvement level outside of drop-off and pick-up was somewhere around 25%. The Fall Festival, the Christmas program, conferences. It wasn't until the spring fundraising gala that I finally had a few moms that I thought could be the start of the circle of mom friends that I was looking for. Weeks later, COVID hit and my daily routine of seeing my new mom friends as upended like much of everything else.
Then the school opened up for summer camp and my son was able to unite with a few of his friends. Despite COVID, the months carried on, the kids played and then the announcement came that their school was going to be in person, masked up, five-days a week. My family was set to have one in Kindergarten and one in Preschool. School with a whole new set of guidelines and rules and the uncertainty of it all was a load on my mind, on all of our minds.
Was I doing the right thing for my children? Despite all of the opinions, I sat down with those women on a park outing in August and talked it through. We decided that we were in support of the plan. The kids were going to be alright, in school, in person, full time. Masks on. With that, we were going to need each other more than ever. This was the day our Moms Group began.
What do you need to form a moms group?
Yourself and another mom, even two or three. These moms should have a commonality meaning their children are in the same school as your own. You do not need size in numbers, what matters is that you like hanging out with each other and value each other's opinion.
Give your group a name.
Exchange phone numbers, start a texting chain. This is the place where you will bear your soul, your embarrassing moments, your laughs. It is separate from social media because it needs to be. This little texting group is for you and those in your group.
Plan one event a year. That's it, one event is all you need. You can obviously do more, but start small, you do not need to complicate your life more than it already is. The point is to have a group of women that you can confide in and ask questions or set up a play date when winter hits. Your 'events' are your interactions between each other.
Make T-Shirts. (This post will give you the run-down).
Define your purpose. Write up some super simple guidelines. Funny or serious, long or short. This particular pledge includes specific elements to the school that our kids are in. Including these elements helps create a sense of inclusion and buy-in to the new environment that keeps your children safe and opens their world and minds with education. An example of the list compiled by my mom group is below.
