Parenting Archive

Parenting Social and Support Groups in Fort Collins
The following is of course only a partial list—there are more groups that I’ve not encountered yet, and no slight whatsoever is intended by not including them here! Each of these has a unique personality and value. You may want to try out several before you decide which ones feel like the best fit for you. If you are a member of a non-commercial organization that supports families in the area, please email us so that we can talk about sharing that information with others on our website.

• The Mothers' Center of Fort Collins is an outreach organization committed to raising the status of mothers. Here, mothers come together to learn, to receive and to give support to one another, and to hold activities for parents and children. Their mission is to provide education and support services to mothers and families, to enhance self-esteem and personal growth, to ban isolation, and to build community connections. Daytime and evening events; childcare available. Call 482-2253 or go to www.motherscenterfc.org.
• Mothers & More is an national organization dedicated to improving the lives of mothers through support, education and advocacy. “We address mothers' needs as individuals and members of society, and promote the value of all the work mothers do”. The Fort Collins Chapter offers bi-monthly evening meetings without children, as well as playgroups, social events, and community outreach. www.mothersandmorefc.com or (866) 841-9139 X 2286.
• Mother’s Circle API is an Attachment Parenting (AP) group that meets twice a month during the day with children. AP is a philosophy of parenting which encourages responsiveness to the infant or child's emotional needs, creating strong emotional bonds to develop secure, empathic, and peaceful relationships. They also have an active email group that is independent of meeting attendance: groups.yahoo.com/group/Mothers_Circle_Connect. Contact Dana Goodwin 472-9258 or danagoodwin@gmail.com.
• La Leche League is an international, nonsectarian organization dedicated to providing education, information, support, and encouragement to women who want to breastfeed or are breastfeeding. Meets in the daytime with children. http://www.lllusa.org/COWY/FtCollinsCO.html or 221-7267.
• Fort Collins Parents of Multiples Club (FCPOMC) is organization for parents with multiples or expecting multiples in the Fort Collins-Loveland area. Offers support, understanding and information from those who have experienced life raising multiples, and opportunities to socialize through monthly meetings and other activities. Exchange ideas, promote and gain further knowledge among parents/guardians of multiple birth children. See http://www.twinsntriplets.com for details.
• Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) is a Christian organization that strives to meet the needs of moms with children from birth through kindergarten. Groups are chartered in churches of different denominations and Christian traditions, but share the desire to reach out with the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many chapters in this area; see http://www.gospelcom.net/mops/. 
• Fort Collins MOMS Club provides support for mothers who choose to stay at home to raise their children. This group meets primarily during the day with children. http://www.fortnet.org/fcmoms or fcmoms@fortnet.org.
• FCParentNet is a yahoo email discussion group for parents in Fort Collins, Loveland, and the surrounding area. (With a yahoo group, members send email to one yahoo address and it gets sent by yahoo to the whole group). We share regional child-related information (such as child related or parenting events, organizations, and resources in our community) and discuss parenting issues that are of regional interest. We are a diverse group, spanning race, religion, gender, work status, etc. A short introduction is required to join. To join, go to www.groups.yahoo.com/group/FCParentNet or send email to FCParentNet-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.
• FortCollinsMommies is also a yahoo email discussion group (see above) “for moms living in the Fort Collins area to plan get-togethers, talk about issues and just hang out!” This is an extremely chatty group, sometimes having up to 50 messages a day; however, reading on the web is an option. This group has playdates and mom’s night out in addition to daily email communication. Go to www.groups.yahoo.com/group/FortCollinsMommies/join (for full web access), or send email to “FortCollinsMommies-subscribe@yahoogroups.com to just receive/send emails.
• Parent Education Network (PEN) is a collaborative group committed to providing a system of communication and access to parenting programs within Larimer County for parents, providers and referral agencies. PEN provides a parenting class resource list on the web at http://www.fortnet.org/pen/. 

Finding Community in Parenting
by Lisa Stroyan

Ever since I first became a mother, community with other families is one aspect of motherhood I've craved. Though I had never had a mother who chatted over coffee with other moms while children played blissfully at their feet, somehow it was an image I carried with me into adulthood—an image that was filled with acceptance, joy, and harmony.
Yet instead, I found myself defensive of my part-time job, despite the fact that it was me rather than my child that got the short end of the stick. I found myself alone and worrying that no one else was having such problems with their four year old. (Certainly no one else had a childe who was completely unwilling to dress himself or who had a screaming fit when he was dropped off for a 1 hour class). Frazzled by the unending list of mundane tasks that I put upon myself, I was lonely and apprehensive that perhaps I was inadequate to this monumental task of raising a child. Parenting books, most of which implied that I must be lacking if I wasn’t following their method, were often a paradox – helping me find ideas, and yet simultaneously eroding the self-confidence I desperately needed.
Luckily, I did find support. Though often found only through word of mouth, there are many groups which support parents in our community, some of which I’ve collected later in this article. I also attended a couple of presentations by local parent educators that changed the way I thought about my parenting and made it much more effective. I explored various philosophies, and integrated pieces of each into my own personal beliefs and values. I started wondering, why isn’t this easier? Why isn’t there more nonjudgmental support for learning effective parenting?
Thus started my quest to combine parenting support and information. I chose a model that is respectful not only of children, but of parents; that assumes parents are capable of choosing the right answers for their families, and that those answers will be unique and based on the parents’ values and beliefs. This model doesn’t talk down to parents (or children) or tell them they are bad; it simply helps them find answers and choices that are more effective for their lives. I began by offering a comprehensive website, then added parenting workshops, and am now providing phone support and coaching to parents.
Parenthood does not have to be isolating. Imagine if we were to all come together and support each other, share our struggles and our joys, without worry of falling short. What would that look like? How would it feel to allow ourselves to let the to-do list slide sometimes in exchange for sharing a meal with a friend, or supporting someone who is struggling? Perhaps in doing so, we would find that we aren’t at all alone – that in fact, it’s not supposed to be easy and smooth, but that the learning is in the struggle. I believe we would find, despite our apprehension, that we are each so incredibly capable of finding “the right answer” for our own family with such support. That is my vision for each of us.

Lisa Stroyan, founder of Empathic Discipline and the mother of one son, is a trained as a Positive Discipline Facilitator and in CTI’s Life Coaching. She has extensive experience creating, leading, and facilitating parenting groups, and her writing has been published internationally. Lisa offers customized workshops, affordable one-on-one phone support and coaching for parents. Her respectful yet effective parenting workshops incorporate a variety of different philosophies. Online, she offers an extensive website with original writing, links, and resources. Empathic Discipline—Helping You Become The Parent You Want to Be: (970) 223-4223, www.empathic-discipline.com, or lisa@empathic-discipline.com.