When I was pregnant with Rebekah, some of the moms of my kids even gave me their own mini-baby shower! Shortly after Rebekah was born, another mom I knew from church invited me to attend MOPS. I told her that I thought it was for moms of older kids. She said no, moms of newborns are welcomed! So I attended the last meeting of that year, when Rebekah was about 6 weeks old.
While at that meeting, I met lots of moms. There were some moms I had known from teaching preschool at college, and some moms I knew from teaching their children in MOPPETS. There was a lovely brunch that was served, and I didn't have to cook it! There were other moms that admired my baby, and didn't mind when I nursed her there. (Other moms were nursing too!) Older women, called mentors and encouragers were there too. One of the encouragers was particularly encouraging to me, and I'll never forget it.
As a new mom, I was full of doubt. Was she eating enough? Was she growing ok? I was hormonal and sleep-deprived, and easy to cry at every little thing. I don't believe I had post-partum depression (and lots of women do), I think I was just overwhelmed and dealing with all kinds of hormones and feelings. Well, this older woman told me, "She responds really well to your voice." It was such a simple thing for her to say, but it meant SO much to me! After that first meeting, I was hooked! I have been attending MOPS for 12 years and I'm sad when I miss a meeting.
There are lots of different moms at MOPS. There are young, first-time moms (pregnant moms are welcome too) and there are older, more experienced moms. And everything in between! When I began attending, I sat and listened and soaked up the other moms wisdom. The longer I have attended, the more I have shared there, and realized a few years ago that I am one of the older moms! How did that happen?! I feel like I am still 25! :-D There are moms that have one baby, and moms that have ten kids! What a difference- but they are all valuable and have different things to offer!
At MOPS, most groups will have a time of the mentor speaking, a guest speaker related to a certain topic-- i.e. breast cancer awareness, discipline, marriage encouragement, how to prepare your child for kindergarten, gardening, birth order, and on and on. There is a myriad of topics that relate to moms of preschoolers, and the steering team draws from those ideas.
Then after the speaker and brunch, all the moms split up into a small group for some discussion time. This is often when the encouragers will hold babies, and the older moms (like me!) will grab the little cuties to hold too! We have some great discussions, share tips, answer questions and get to know each other. Then another one of my favorite times is craft! There is a simple, fun and practical (we hope) craft!
All of the supplies and time are provided so the craft can be completed at MOPS, since many moms don't complete anything all day. At least you can finish a craft and feel like you've accomplished something!
Our group meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month. There is a small fee for each meeting to cover child care, copies, craft supplies, etc., It is so encouraging, uplifting and fun! I've made lots of wonderful friends in MOPS and so have my kids in MOPPETS! We'd love to have you join us, or you can find a group near you by going to www.mops.org
This is from the MOPS website: MOPS International exists to encourage, equip and develop every mother of preschoolers to realize her potential as a woman, mother and leader in the name of Jesus Christ.
MOPS-where no mother will mother alone!
Posted by
So glad that you encouraged me to get started at MOPS!
ReplyDelete