Fears Faced by Stay-at-home Parents PART 5

Number Five

Is there life outside the home or will I be stuck with no adult interaction? There may come a time when you find yourself saying things like, “Excuse me, I have to go tinkle” or you go out to eat and find yourself cutting your spouse’s meat into bite size pieces. If that happens, you need to
get a life that involves other adults. It is time to get involved in Play Groups and Clubs.

When your children are pre-school age, you will spend most of your time with them and it’s normal in this situation to crave adult stimulation. You will be watching the clock, waiting for other adults to get home so that you can talk about something other than toys and cartoon characters.

If you get involved with others, and establish unstructured playtime, and home activities, you will find the pre-school years fly past Playgroups or clubs can provide much needed adult company. The purpose of these groups is to create an environment where children can play together and adults can talk among themselves.

The best option is to join a group whose members are the same gender as you are. If you are of the opposite gender, you may discover that the subjects discussed during the play dates do not satisfy your needs or do not interest you. Most large cities have both Mom and Dad groups, but many of the smaller towns may only have one or the other. In that situation, you have two options. Join the available group, or start your own.

To find a club, watch the newspaper. Many papers list organizational meetings. You can also talk to other stay-at-home parents and ask them about playgroups. If this fails, drive by the local parks and recreational areas, and look for a gathering of people with small children. Don’t hesitate to approach them. Chances are all of them have been where you are and will welcome you into their group.

While it’s nice to sit and talk, having a theme can add a lot of fun. Try holding a recipe meeting with all the adults bringing a recipe to share with the group. You may also want to have a scrapbook meeting, interesting internet sites, or any other topic your group might find interesting. You don’t have to put a lot of work into the meeting, but a central theme can get
shy people to participate, add to the group discussions and make the whole process more enjoyable.

Many churches also provide day care so that stay-at-home parents can run errands or do other things best accomplished without children tagging along. Check with your local churches to find out who provides this service.