This may or may not be the first you’ve heard from me, but I can promise you one thing… It won’t be the last! I’m so excited to join the MomsCharlotte.com team of wonderful bloggers and I look forward to bringing you great content that will be relevant to local parents!
First let me introduce myself so you know what you’re getting: I’m Katie Harding and in 2008 I turned in my power suit and high heels to be a full-time mom. Being a mom was something I knew I wanted to do, but I didn’t really know how to do it. I found my job as a new mom completely isolating, slightly terrifying and very depressing.
I didn’t have any friends that were parents, and I began to hang out in baby aisles at stores hoping to strike up a conversation with fellow new-moms. I needed some baby-toting gal pals, and I needed them badly. On one particularly lonely afternoon, I turned to my laptop and began researching local playgroups. I didn’t find one that suited what I was looking for, so I got the courage to start my own group. That was the day that my life changed.
The South Charlotte Playgroup started with one mom (me) and now is home to nearly 800 moms. We gather together for play dates, make new friends for ourselves and our children, share tips, ask questions, and rely on each other for our sanity. I no longer feel alone in parenthood. I’ve got a tribe of mothers to lean on for support.
Chances are that if you are a parent, you’ve also felt isolated from time to time. Whether you stay at home with your children, are a working parent or a part-time care-giver, you’ve wanted to connect with other adults that know how to get poo-stains out of crib sheets and know the ins and outs of how to encourage picky eaters to eat those three measly green beans, DARNIT! (Can you tell that’s a sensitive issue with me??)
Well, you don’t have to start a playgroup like I did to meet other like-minded folk. There are groups of parents and caregivers all over this city that are meeting, playing, networking, and making a difference. Every week, I’ll be highlighting Charlotte-area groups and parents that are doing just that.
Do you participate in a playgroup that has improved your parenting experience? Know someone who deserves to get recognized? I’d love to hear about it! Drop me a note at katie.harding@gmail.com, and we’ll chat.
From one parent to another, I look forward to sharing our stories and connecting online here at MomsCharlotte and in the community,
