Group offers support to mothers with small children
ROSCOE – A mother of two infants in the Roscoe area was looking for a place where she and other moms could connect and help each other through the difficulties that come with taking care of small children. Thanks to Michele Hartle’s vision, Roscoe Area MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) was created. “I wanted a place to meet up with other moms and talk about pacifiers, potty training and preschool, but there really wasn’t much in this area,” Hartle said. “I thought of starting my own play group but I thought why not do something that will last, so that when my kids are bigger, other moms will still have it available. So that’s when I started looking into MOPS International.”
Although the group has met before, it is calling its meeting today from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Roscoe Presbyterian Church its kick-off celebration.
MOPS groups are chartered through local faith-based organizations, and Hartle said she approached her minister at the Roscoe Presbyterian Church with her idea, and she received the full support of the church.
Hartle noted that although the MOPS meetings are held at the church, any mother in the community with children 5 or under is welcome to attend.
“We have single moms, married moms and military moms,” Hartle said of her own MOPS branch, adding that the group has women attending in their early 20s as well as women in their 40s.
“But we all have one thing in common and that is that we love our kids and want the best for them,” she said.
Hartle noted that the group also encourages expectant mothers to attend MOPS meetings as well.
While at the meetings, which take place at the Roscoe Presbyterian Church every other Wednesday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., mothers can enjoy quality time with their peers while their children are taken care of by volunteers in the church’s preschool room.
“We have teenage honor students who need to do community service and they volunteer to take care of the children during the meetings,” said Hartle. “They really love what they do. I also have a graduate student from California University but she’s going to be leaving soon and I’m looking for someone to replace her. We’ve been lucky to have great volunteers. It’s a safe place for moms and babies.”
Hartle said that MOPS is dedicated to helping all mothers be the best they can, and they offer a variety of topics at their meetings.
Past meeting topics have included “Summer Survival: Keeping Safe and Having Fun.” During that meeting, a paramedic spoke to the group about summer hazards and injuries. The mothers have also been shown quick beauty tips, and had discussions about coping with stress.
Hartle said the topic for their group for the month of September is patience.
“We all need to learn how to have patience with our kids,” said Hartle, adding that October will hold a lot of activities for mothers and children.
“In October we are going to focus on goodness. During that month we will talk about nutrition for ourselves and our kids, and we are going to swap recipes,” Hartle said. “We also have our fall festival planned that month. We’ll have arts and crafts and stations with different activities for the kids. We’re really excited about that.”
Hartle said that there is a membership fee of $20 a year, but the group wants every mother who is interested to come, even if she cannot afford the fee.
“The church has set up a scholarship fund for anyone who can’t afford to pay the fee,” said Hartle. “It is completely anonymous. They don’t want to know anything about them.”
Hartle said anyone interested in being a part of MOPS can come to a meeting to get registered.
“The first meeting is free,” said Hartle. “That gives them a chance to make sure they like it and want to come back.”
Hartle added that when a new mom is registered, they get a MOPS magazine, a book, and a Veggie Tales DVD for their kids.
She also commented that moms can find something that most women need at every meeting.
“We have refreshments and chocolate is always available,” said Hartle, adding that there are always snacks for the kids as well.
Hartle said she can be contacted by anyone interested in joining the Roscoe Area MOPS at 724-938-3703.
A Web site is also available at www.mops.org
, where women can put in their zip code to see which chapter of MOPS is nearest to them. Those without Internet access may call 1-800-929-1287.