When I became a mother for the very first time, I experienced many emotions: excitement, joy, fear, doubt, apprehension, anxiety and a host of other feelings. I had never really been around children and didn’t know how to relate to them; furthermore, I lacked the confidence I needed as a new parent. This parenting thing was new uncharted terri tory for me. I began reading as many books as I could before the baby arrived, continuing to read more as the toddler and preschool years came. Although the books were helpful to me, providing suggestions from different points of view on how to raise my child, they were just that – books. I didn’t have a support system of women who were going through exactly what I was at that in my life. My husband and I waited until our mid-thirties to begin our family, so most of our friends were already beyond the baby years, well into the challenges of teenagers.When my first son was six months old, my husband’s job moved our family from Alabama to the West Coast. In the midst of thousands of people a new city, my husband and I found ourselves completely alone – new parents with an infant, no family, no friends, and more questions on parenting and children than we would care to admit out loud.
That’s when the blessing of MOPS came into my life. MOPS – Mothers of Preschoolers – a support group for women with preschool children in their lives. I came into the path of a local group that met at a church in Northern California. I stepped out of my comfort zone and called the coordinator of the group to see if I might be able to come see what MOPS was all about. I was pleasantly surprised as I arrived on my first day to see that there were many women my age who had preschool children and whose needs were similar to mine. I was nervous, to say the least, about placing my baby into the care of strangers for the length of the meeting (2 ½ hours for that particular group). But my fears and apprehension subsided as I passed my son into the hands of loving, kind, gentle Christian women. I continued to attend MOPS in California until our family returned home to Alabama, where I promptly located another MOPS group. I now have two children, a four year old and a two year old, and I coordinate the MOPS group that meets at Capshaw Baptist Church in Harvest, Alabama. When I was a new mom with questions and concerns about my role as a mother, MOPS provided me with encouragement, answers, resources and leadership skills that I may not have found otherwise. It also gave me a time to let down my guard and just be me. At the meetings, I found friendship, satisfaction in the art of completing a simple project, time for reflection and devotion, and a time to eat a meal (without getting up except for seconds). My children have found friends, as well, and enjoy themselves while they play, hear stories, sing, do crafts, and enjoy their own little picnics with their friends in age-appropriate MOPS A Place for Moms By Beth Trees classrooms. It’s a time we all look forward to. Maybe you’re in a situation similar to mine four years ago. North Alabama is a magnet for transient families without a place to call home. There are several MOPS groups in the area that are ready and willing to share the good news of MOPS with you. All you have to do is step out of your comfort zone and make the call to find the right one for you. Maybe you have one preschooler or a house full of preschoolers — don’t face mothering preschoolers alone! Moms need someone they can draw encouragement from who is in the same season of life. MOPS is for every mother of preschoolers all around the world. Whether you’re a mom living in Alabama or California or on another continent, MOPS has aplace for you.
Beth Trees has a degree in English and Communications. She is the Coordinator for MOPS at Capshaw Baptist Church. Beth is a stay-at-mom living with her husband, Eric, and two children, Tannen and Tristan, in Harvest, Alabama. Feel free to email her at trees_eb@bellsouth.net.
By: Beth Trees
