Club Brings Stay-at-Home Moms Together

In the recent comedy I Don’t Know How She Does It, Sarah Jessica Parker’s character is the breadwinner of her family, portraying what most assume to be a depiction of today's working mom. However, some local moms are promoting just the opposite—and giving back in the process.

The MOMS Club®, an international non-profit organization, is a support group designed for the at-home mother of today. The provision group has more than 2,000 members in the United States and total more than 100,000 members nationwide, according to its website.

Locally, the MOMS Club® of Wallingford Area includes members from Hamden, Cheshire, North Haven and Wallingford. Each local chapter, which varies by towns and cities across the country, offers a positive unit for moms to socialize and network with each other -- sharing advice, ideas and giving back to the community alongside their daily responsibilities to their children.

“The MOMS Club® does a number of service oriented activities through the year such as food drives, baskets and charitable events,” said Nicole Davison, stay at home mom and Membership Vice President of the MOMS Club® of Wallingford Area. “There are also so many great opportunities to get involved in as a family.”

Promoting a healthy lifestyle is a list topper for MOMS Club® member and Hamden native, Sandy Abramson, who said she joined the club more than a year ago in search of an encouraging network to offer activities for her kids.

“We have a lot of activities that involve the family as a whole, such as s’mores nights, family hayrides and summer family picnics,” said Abramson. “The club really values what each mom has to offer and respects each mom’s choice in how it works with in their family.”

MOMS Club® members are encouraged to join regardless of their situation—whether they obtain a part time job or have children of any ages. Membership fee for the MOMS Club® of Wallingford Area, open to resident of Wallingford, Cheshire, Hamden and North Haven, is $20 a year, which goes toward club promotion and charitable causes.

Last year, items club members donated included diapers, wipes, food, clothes and were used to make diaper bags, which were donated to a local charity. And during the holidays, the club does various themed get-togethers with the raised money.

While the "working mom" trend in society has become more widely accepted today, Davison said she sees her role as a sacrifice and a commitment, and incomparable to women on other paths.

“Everyone’s situation is different,” said Davison. “I have realized that you really cannot compare the two—a working mom versus stay at home. I don’t feel there is a negative stigma with staying at home and I often feel proud that I do it.”

Abramson, on the other hand, said she has seen some opposing social setbacks with her role as a stay at home mom. She said she thinks that people view her as a mom who doesn’t want to work.

 “I have met moms who work full and part time and tend to only want to socialize with moms who are in the same boat.”

For this reason precisely, The MOMS Club® comes in handy.

“It is really a great group,” said Abramson. “The other moms have let me know that I am not alone in the daily dramas of raising kids in this way.”

Want to get involved and learn more about your local MOMS Club® of Wallingford Area? The chapter is hosting an Open House on Thursday, October 6th from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM at theWallingford Parks & Recreation Center, 6 Fairfield Blvd., Wallingford, CT.

The profile-raising event is open to all Wallingford, Cheshire, North Haven and Hamden moms who stay at home with their children or who work part time. Enjoy refreshments, door prizes, raffles, crafts and games for the children at the event too!

For more information or to RSVP, contact Nicole Davison at 203-435-4447 or email: momsclubofwallingfordarea@yahoo.com