It can be isolating to be a stay-at-home mom of young children – especially in Silicon Valley, where Marissa Mayer received kudos for stepping up to Yahoo Inc.’s top spot as CEO in her third trimester of pregnancy.
While the rewards of seeing your children’s wobbly first steps and being their primary caretaker are immense, there’s no immediate product or daily pat on the back from co-workers.
Wiping runny noses, arbitrating sibling fights or negotiating developmental stages can drain even the toughest mom.
That’s why many turn to support groups like Mothers Uniting Mothers – or MUMs – which meets twice a month at Los Altos United Methodist Church. The 40-plus members who attend the gatherings drop off their children at the church nursery or keep their babies with them. Participating moms then munch on bagels and fruit as they interact.
Parents at Los Altos United Methodist Church founded the longtime club, and many of them now serve as mentor moms. Anne Cross and Sue Delong frequently attend MUMs meetings to guide the small-group discussions.
“This is really the modern-day village,” Delong said. “People don’t lean over the fence anymore, and when you drop your kid off at preschool, the moms don’t hover around” to talk, because they want to get their errands done in a short period of time.
Another MUMs mom said that during the day, she is constantly distracted by her son, making it hard to talk with another adult.
“Here, the conversations are deeper and more interesting,” she said.
The topic for the Jan. 14 meeting focused on last year’s achievements and goals for this year. The Jan. 28 session centered on making scrapbooking cards for Valentine’s Day. The Feb. 11 meeting included a breakout session in which the moms divided into small groups to discuss the topic of the day.
Nancy Yang, member of the MUMs steering committee, started attending the group in 2010, when her son was just a few months old. She now has two sons, ages 4 and 3.
“Before I became a mom, I had been working as a full-time teacher and was around teenagers and adults all day, and was therefore benefiting from the interaction with others,” said Yang, who previously taught English at St. Francis High School in Mountain View. “When I became a mom to my baby, my days became long and lonely.”
Yang said she wondered if she were doing things right as a mother and if she were the only one struggling with all of the uncertainties of parenting.
An acquaintance invited Yang – who moved to the area from Atlanta with her husband in 2006 – to check out MUMs.
“I didn’t hesitate,” she said of accepting the invitation. “I’m so glad I joined, since I have made lifelong friends through this wonderful group.”
MUMs meets 9-11:30 a.m. every other Wednesday in the Creekside Center at Los Altos United Methodist Church, 655 Magdalena Ave. Membership dues are $75 annually.
For more information, email [email protected] or visit mums.laumc.org. ✦
MUMS group brings young moms together
Photos by Ellie Van Houtte/Town Crier
