Tips on Making Friends and Keeping Your Sanity as a Stay-At-Home Mom

You're busy with your young child or children all day as a teacher, caretaker, cook, and playmate. Being a stay-at-home mom is a 24-hour a day job and, although you're never alone (even when you're in the bathroom), you may get lonely - for adult company in particular. Motherhood can be overwhelming and it is nice to be able to talk to other mothers of young children. Here are some ideas on how the stay-at-home mom can expand her social circle.

1) Join A Parenting Group - If you gave birth in a hospital, chances are they sponsor parenting groups. Give your hospital a call to find out more or, if you kept the paperwork from the hospital when you gave birth, they may have given you information about it already. If you didn't have your child or children in a hospital, but have a midwife or ob-gyn, contact them and see if they can put you in touch with another of their patients who had children around the time you did. Perhaps you adopted. If so, give your adoption agency a call and see if there is anything in place through them. If not, maybe they could give your number to someone who is in a situation similar to yours.

2) Check Out Your Local Library - These are great places to meet other moms. Most local libraries have free classes for young children. These will usually be run by a librarian and include a storytime, music, and free play. It's a really easy and inexpensive way for moms and their children to socialize. Even if you go when there isn't a class scheduled, most libraries have a children's section with some toys and books - still a good way to meet other parents. And, you may even have time to check out a book or movie for yourself.

3) Go To The Mall - This is a no-brainer. Many malls have soft-play areas for young children. They usually have the play area in the center and seating around it for the parents. This is a good place to let the kids go crazy and talk to other moms in the process. If you have a small baby, you could even sit in the play area for awhile and let the baby check out the bigger children playing. That's great entertainment for the baby. When play time is over, have a snack ready for your child or children, get the stroller ready, and take a walk around the mall. A great way to meet people, wear the kids out, and get some shopping done.

4) Go To Church - You may not belong to a church or be a regular churchgoer, but many churches hold playgroups or mom's groups. Organizations such as M.O.P.S. (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) have bi-weekly or monthly meetings at a church hall. Many times, childcare is provided. Children will go in the nursery while the moms have lunch and listen to a guest speaker.

5) Read the Newspaper - Most towns and cities have a newspaper. Some even have a local parenting magazine that's free and can be picked up in bookstores or pediatrician's offices. There are frequently advertisements for things to do around town with your family. Also, they usually have listings of free classes offered through the city government and libraries.

6) Exercise - You may want to look into joining a gym. Most gyms, like the YMCA and Lifetime Fitness, have childcare for young children (many up to 2 hours) with a family membership. For around $100 a month, you could get some exercise, meet other moms, have some time to yourself, and let your child or children play with other kids. If this sounds like too pricey of an option, many gyms have classes for nonmembers. Perhaps a parent-child swimming class or a strollercise class may be a good choice for you. Additionally, most cities and towns offer these types of classes at a lesser cost than a gym - and you get a discount if you're a resident.

7) Surf the Internet - There are several good parenting sites that offer support networks for moms. Babyzone.com, Babycenter.com, and Parentcenter.com are a few of the websites that offer messageboards on topics as varied as Breastfeeding, Stay-at-Home Moms, and ones grouped according to your child's birthdate. There are often regional messageboards too, where you can meet other women from your area.

8) Play at the Park - Try out the local playground. Even the smallest child will enjoy the fresh air and you may meet another mom who is with her kids. Many parks have walking paths too, so you could get some exercise which is a great mood lifter.

9) Be Neighborly - Maybe you've seen another mom with young children in your neighborhood, but haven't had the nerve to introduce yourself. You could always stop by her house and introduce yourself. Or take a walk or a bike ride in your neighborhood - you may meet other moms and get some exercise in the process. Some neighborhoods have associations that plan get-togethers or family days. These are a great way to get to know other families and get involved in your neighborhood.

Sometimes making new friends is difficult - especially so if you're on the shy side. But, just that little extra effort of saying hello to someone first can lead to a nice friendship. And, having children around the same age is a great icebreaker.