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Original poster

who do you help?

20 replies

alhambra · 08/06/2005 20:32

What communities do you belong to, apart from the loving sistahood of mn? Do you have a strong neighbourhood or a school with a really cohesive ethos, or do you hang out with a really close knit group of friends? Do you belong to a church, political group, or other community? Or does mn survive because of the lack of these things in our lives? I'm not doing research, I'm just CURIOUS - imagining all these mners out there typing away, and wondering.

OP posts:
Cam · 08/06/2005 20:36

I am extremely active on my dd's school Friends Committee and have raised thousands of pounds and bought tons of fantastic stuff for her school over the last 3 -4 years.
Also involved (but far less so) with church, Brownies, ballet and swimming club.

Hausfrau · 08/06/2005 20:40

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

zebraZ · 08/06/2005 20:41

Um... no1. Well, I am chair of the preschool committee, but I wouldn't call that a community -- not for me, anyway. Lots of the others are tight friends with each other but not with me. I know many of the moms at school by name, details of what is happening in their lives, but couldn't really call any of them friends. There is only one who I really like, and she is very different from me, except in having many small children so we can't chat as much as we'd like.
Chat with the neighbours, but we are a funny isolated group of 5 houses so best to be on chatty terms.
Hmm... sound like a hermit, don't I?!

GaylordFocker · 08/06/2005 20:50

I am on a committee for social events in our close knit neighbourhood and know quite a few mothers on this as we get together at each others houses, they are not friends but I enjoy their company.

The people I help are friends I have met in the last few years and they have children and I would do anything to help them if they were stuck with childcare, or whatever wherever I could. Church I don't. So I guess our neighbourhood is very close knit and we are a community but it's hard to be there for all 100+ of the mothers that live here but when we have summer fetes etc everyone helps and we have their children's friends around a lot and vice versa, it's like a big family really and I love it.

eidsvold · 08/06/2005 22:27

have playgroup mums - but close to one in particular, friends in mother and baby group and part of a church community.

fatmomma · 08/06/2005 22:33

I had no community until I had ds and got involved with the NCT. I am now on the committee and the work we do helps lots of new mums which gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling .

Out of this I have a group of 3 close friends and we all help and support each other - I'm closer to them than to my own family (not counting ds and dh of course!).

I also feel closer to other women at work who have children - we kind of form a community during working hours.

zaphod · 08/06/2005 22:34

I belong to the playschool community, where I work(am on leave at the moment), and the school community, where I run the library on a voluntary basis. As a result, I know loads of children, and they know me. I also know the parents and some of them are good friends.

I am actually considering leaving the playschool permanently, but I'm afraid I would miss the interaction with a wider community than the immediate family and my small (but precious) group of friends.

JoolsToo · 08/06/2005 22:35

Saga

alibubbles · 09/06/2005 10:39

I have just become an asssitant guide leader and I took 17 guides to camp at bank holiday weekend, great fun but jolly hard work!

Gwenick · 09/06/2005 10:41

I'm very active at church, as well as being the church organist (for which I 'do' get a small amount of money £100 a month) I also try to ensure I support church events.

I've some close friends who I often see too.

Once DS1 starts school in September I'll probably be involved their too - they've got teachers who teach 'music' - but none of them can play the piano..........so it's already been hinted (strongly) that my 'services' may be called upon occasionally.

highlight · 09/06/2005 14:35

Cub leader, took 38 of the little darllings to camp for half term week, have come back to work for a well earned rest! plus 16 scouts

acnebride · 09/06/2005 14:55

Feel close to some mums I've met via local groups, we can knock on each other's doors for tea without phoning first, gasp. But have not known them long

dh's synagogue - feel close to the community and go to some things there but it's a long way away

old rowing crew - all meet at least 2 x a year plus other contacts, but relatively infrequent

group of 4 friends from primary school, but again it's infrequent

I hate the phone so MN great for me

beansmum · 09/06/2005 15:01

I don't belong to any communities and I'm not close to anyone I've been kind of isolated this year, couldn't go out with students because I didn't have my evenings free and couldn't meet mums because I was at uni all day. That's why I spend so much time on MN, it's my only conversation most days!

expatinscotland · 09/06/2005 15:02

I belong to, and help out in, my church as well as Amnesty International and a charity group called Capability Scotland, for special needs children in Scotland.

TheVillageIdiot · 09/06/2005 15:09

beansmum - was reading up thinking i was odd thil I saw your post. I'm another who doesn't really belong (or feel like they belong) to any specific community.

I'm just an in-between-er

mummyhill · 09/06/2005 16:14

I run a local parent and toddler group which is great fun and very rewarding. I tend to meet up with some of the mums outside of the group for a coffee and a chat once in a while as well.

I also make a point of taking my grandmothers shopping and if their neighbours need anything bringing in from the shops i do that as well whilst i am at it.

jessicasmummy · 09/06/2005 16:17

another hermit here - moved here in MArch and dont know a single soul.... maybe thats why im going mad?!

Original poster
alhambra · 09/06/2005 17:46

where did you move to jessica's mummy?

OP posts:
jessicasmummy · 09/06/2005 17:46

Colchester, Essex

Ellbell · 10/06/2005 12:22

I work full-time in a small department (6 staff) so that's a sort-of community. We all get on well, which is nice. (Though I don't live near the others, and most of them don't have kids, so it's a case of taking a coffee break together, that kind of thing... not so much meeting up outside of work.)

I am a parent governor of my dd's infant school. Love doing that, as I feel it brings me closer to the school and to what she's doing - especially as I don't manage to pick her up myself most days.

Moved house 2 years ago and am now within half an hour's drive of my closest friend. That has made life much easier, as we can look after one another's children if necessary. My MIL and two SsIL are all close too, but - for various reasons - I only ask them to help out in emergencies. Still it's nice to have someone there in case of an emergency, which wasn't the case before we moved.

Because I work, I don't see that much of other mums in the neighbourhood, although I do have next-door and next-door-but-one neighbours who have children of exactly the same ages as my dd2 and dd1 respectively, so have got to know them a bit. House next door to me is for sale at the mo, so if any MNer wants to move to a child-friendly neighbourhood and set up a little community....!?!?

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