A Love Letter to MOPS

Dear MOPS,
First of all, I would like to thank you for the slightly confusing name you have. Because while I love a good clean floor, I don't particularly care for your cleaning namesake. Mothers of Pre-Schoolers is a lot to say, and let's face it, I hardly have time to go to the bathroom by myself, let alone say Mother's of Pre-Schoolers every time I want to talk to some one about you. The abbreviation is also a good conversation starter.

Secondly, and most importantly, I think you saved my life last year. It's been about a year since I attended my first meeting of MOPS. I was invited by another mom, who, little did I know, was extending an offer of sanity and friendship at a time when I needed it most. I met her while I was dropping off my son at Mother's Day Out (another small life saver since it met one of my needs...a break from my newborn).

So, how did you save me? Well, I think Gage was about 10 weeks old, and I was approaching the edge of depression with alarming alacrity. (dictionary.com if you need to, people. I don't offer definitions for my big words. my mother never did either) I think that I was just so pleased to have someone to talk to, who knew what the hell I was going through. And, you brought me into a room full of women whom had ALL done it before, some more than once. Adult conversation was lacking in general in my life as well.

I have shared about my post partum issues in a previous post
and I still maintain that MOPS was a huge factor in helping me survive that dark time. I don't know if I will have the same experience with baby #2 since I will already have this support system with even better friendships established.

MOPS, I love you. You mean so much to me. And, that reminds me that I'm a total slacker and haven't paid my dues for the semester. And I should know better. I'm on the steering committee. LOL

Thank you for being there for me when I was full of defeat. Thank you for letting me know it's ok to resent the blessing of being a MOP sometimes. And, thank you for allowing me to make new friends in a city where I had very few even before I was a mom.

Anyone who is NOT a mother will probably never understand how truly important you are, but don't let that get you down. There's too many moms who "get" you to be sad about those people who don't.

Love,
Jodie