Slidell Moms Help Other Moms

Who says stay-at-home moms in Slidell have to stay at home?

The MOMS Club of Slidell Area (a local chapter of the International MOMS Club ® organization) gives moms who are at home with their children during the day a chance to get out and make some new friends.

The MOMS Club started in 1983 when Mary James, a stay-at-home mother in California, needed something where her baby and preschooler were welcome. She wanted to meet other at-home mothers with children for her kids to play with. When James discovered there were no organizations that met during the day in her area, she created one.

The MOMS Club turned out to be a hit, and it wasn’t long before chapters started popping up in other cities. Today, there are more than 1,500 chapters with over 100,000 members. The Slidell chapter began in 2005.

Activities include playtime and crafts for the kids, plus parenting discussions and community service projects for the moms. A general meeting happens every month, and events are planned continuously for children of all ages.

The support group has helped local moms deal with issues by giving them a network that understands what they experience. At-home moms juggle many tasks, from running their households to getting kids to all their activities on time.

They sometimes experience insecurity or depression or feel lonely when their toddler is the only voice they hear all day. They can also feel frustrated and inadequate—common emotions for new moms who feel they aren’t parenting "the right way” in spite of all their efforts.

Making self-care and "alone time” a priority is one way moms can stay sane and keep all the balls in the air. However, a support group like The MOMS Club of Slidell Area also encourages moms to team up and solve some of their problems together.

Finding a group of like-minded moms and getting engaged with the community is a fantastic way to deal with the stress and feelings of inadequacy. The MOMS Club helps moms celebrate what they’re doing right, rather than dwelling on the things they doing (or perceive themselves as doing) wrong.

The MOMS Club Goals

• To provide a support group for mothers who choose to stay at home to raise their children
• To provide a forum for topics of interest to mothers
• To help children in the community
• To perform at least one service project yearly helping needy children

The MOMS Club Principles

• That women must be free to choose their path to fulfillment
• That, for women who choose it, raising children is an important and fulfilling full-time job
• That a family's decision for a mother to stay at home to raise the children often involves considerable financial sacrifice
• That there is no one right way to raise children, but our members have a common concern in raising their children in a healthful way

For more information about this non-profit group, email Momsclubofslidell@yahoo.com. Whether you’ve lived in Louisiana your entire life or are new to the area, you are welcome!

Here are some stay-at-home mom statistics, courtesy of the support page for Stay-at-Home Moms. They come from a survey of Mothers & More, a national support group for mothers.

• The typical member is 34 years old and has two children.
• 84% of members have college degrees; 30% have a masters, Ph.D. or another professional degree
• 64% are full-time SAHMs who do not currently work for pay. 34% work part-time for pay, half of whom work out of the home. 1% work full-time outside the home.
• More than 50% decided to alter their career paths before their first child was born; another 36% made the decision shortly after that.
• 82% of members left a full-time job to be home with their children, while over 9% reduced their workload to part-time.
• More than 71% are planning to return to work in the future. 22% are undecided, and 7% do not plan to transition back into the workforce.

Our Commitment to the Community

As part of its mission as a community hospital, Slidell Memorial Hospital staffs a professional Community Outreach department that promotes The MOMS Club and other educational programs to help improve the quality of life in our community. Click here to view a list of Community Outreach Programs and Classes.