Three Reasons Why I May Not Be Moms Group Material

I finally did it – I joined a Moms Group.  I always wanted to, I just couldn’t because I work and every moms group I had looked into only had meetups during the week.  I once suggested a weekend activity to the group’s organizer and was informed that they preferred their members spend the weekends as “family time”.  Now, I love my family and spending time with them, but what’s a football widow to do?

So after 2 years of watching meetup after meetup fly by because I couldn’t  make it during the week, a new group formed.  A group of working mothers who could only get together on the weekends.  I was in heaven.  I signed up right away and couldn’t wait for our first chance to meet everyone.  Finally, an opportunity to meet other moms on the weekend and discover new places to go with the kids.  Here are pictures from the splash park meet-up this past weekend.

What?  You want to see pictures of Greenleigh socializing with the other kids?  Pictures of me chatting with other moms?  Well, that would be difficult, because it just didn’t happen.  We have now been to a few meetups and I’m beginning to think Greenleigh and I might not be mom’s group material.  Let me count the reasons why.

1. I’m pretty sure they think I have ADHD.  And I don’t blame them.  So far most of the kids at the meetups have been younger and their parents carry them around.  My child, on the other hand, is in constant motion.  Running from one side of the event to the other, screeching at the top of her lungs is normal for her.  That is the way Greenleigh has a good time.  Seconds after I introduce myself, I immediately have to run from the conversation to make sure she isn’t doing something terribly dangerous.  It never fails.  Sometimes I get a chance to excuse myself from the conversation, and other times I abruptly dart off.  When you add this to the fact that I have yet to make it to a meetup anywhere near on time and have no idea what anyone else’s name is due to the darting in and out of conversations, their case for thinking I have ADD is ironclad.  If only I could stay still enough to actually meet someone.
2. I’m not healthy enough.  Okay, I admit, I rely too much on convenience foods for both Greenleigh and myself when we are out of the house.  It is just so easy to throw a juice box into my purse or buy a quick snack at the location of the meetup, but I realize that those are not the healthiest options.  This past weekend I found nothing wrong with purchasing some chicken nuggets from the concession stand at the water park, but immediately realized my faux pas upon returning to the group’s table.  Only then did I notice that everyone was feeding their kids healthy snacks they had brought from home.  I couldn’t help but think, “How in the world did they get their cooler full of carrot sticks and celery through the attendants checking bags at the front of the park?”.  My child won’t touch a veggie unless I hide it in her food (which I do), so how do they get their kids to eat such healthy things?  And I saw the judging eyes as I handed Greenleigh the CapriSun I had carried in my purse “just in case”.  Hey, it was 90+ degrees, and she was thirsty, so it did the job.  It appears I must find healthier, portable options if I want to fit in.  Damn peer pressure.
3. I’m not in shape (or anywhere close to it).  Perhaps this goes back to Number 1, but I cannot go to a Mom’s Group meetup without waking up terribly sore the next day…as if I had worked out for 6-8 hours the day before.  I spend several days after the meetups taking Motrin and tending to my strained muscles, only to do it all over again the next weekend.  Maybe I need to come up with some sort of workout plan that will prepare for these meetups?  You think Jillian Michaels has a plan to prepare me for climbing bounce house slides and walking/running through water for hours on end?  I should probably look into it.

Despite all of the above, I think we are going to keep trying.  All of the meet-ups we have been to thus far have worn Greenleigh out and caused her to want to go to bed early.  And that alone is worth the stares.