Go to
www.writersontheloose.com to view a picture of the group.
This month marks the second year of my appearances with Mom’s Club International, a supportive club for mothers who make the monumental decision to stay home and raise their children themselves.
Started in the early 1980’s by a California mother of two who was sick of the depiction by society of the “stay at home mother” as someone who was uneducated, needy and out of the loop, the concept was embraced whole heartedly by intelligent and caring women all over the world, not just the United States. Organized in groups of not more than 50, these women are brought together by a common goal – the love of children and the connection we all have as women who put their family first.
This doesn’t mean they are self sacrificing martyrs who have no outlets or interests outside their brood, especially since there are more often than not more than one sibling in their unit. It is an opportunity to have their children learn socialization skills and to form friendships in time of stress and anxiety for the mother’s themselves; learning what not to do as well as what to do, and how to handle it all.
My Mom’s Club gigs are always enlightening and informative, and I’m usually the one getting educated. I’ve learned a few things during these “visits”, for that’s what I market them as. I perform in groups of between 15-50 and what I do is tell them how I did it – I claim from the beginning that I am not a licensed therapist or have a degree in child psychology, and that I’ve never been a teacher or a camp counselor.
But I AM a Mom, and that gives me full authority over what I say and how I tell them. Which is always in joke form and lessons learned through essays.
This last visit was as wonderful for me as the first one. It’s a time of uncertainty for some of these mothers, as well as bewilderment and concern. I have walked the same trails, survived the same peaks and valleys, so I know of what I speak.
They laughed at the right time, and cried at the right time too, for I tell them stories and read from my books when appropriate.
I had a wonderful time this visit, mostly because the poignancy for me was that I couldn’t find the place for an hour. It was at a church, and I was about ready to give up when I looked up to see the road I was to follow.
“Someone must need to hear me”, I thought to myself, as I thanked God for setting me on the right path once again.
I think she did.
Thank you to all the women of the Clarkson/Hamlin Mom’s Club. It was a great experience to meet you and the others. Thanks for letting me visit with you.
You have the hardest and the best job in the world.
You are the mother.
