Time was, a mom knew who her neighbors were. She brought them pies when they moved into the neighborhood; she invited them for morning coffee and a round-the-kitchen-table chat; her kids played outside with theirs until the sun went down and it was too dark to see anymore.
The 21st century mother often doesn’t have this kind of time to get to know her neighbors. She’s too busy with her job or with her kids to welcome newcomers. She’s hesitant to invite strangers into her home. The kids have soccer, t-ball and band practice, and too much homework to play outside after dinner.
But mothers across Canada haven’t let these tiny details keep them from getting together and making friends with other moms who are just like them. The online message board has become the kitchen table of yesteryear, and one Canadian woman is providing a way for the country’s mothers to find the same support, friendship and feeling of community they had in times past.
From her home in Calgary, Alberta, Britt Raposo has been working her way across the country; creating online forums – virtual communities – to help moms in each province and territory meet other moms in their own cities and towns. The result of her own desire to meet other moms and find friends for her children turned into a movement that is sweeping across Canada and helping over 100 other moms do the same.
Raposo created CanadianMomsCommunity.com (CMC), a launching pad for Canadian moms to find and set up play dates, coffee dates, and other clubs and get-togethers in their own city or town. From the main site, members can navigate to their own province or territory, and then to their own city, to link up with other members from their local community.
“It’s a great website that builds friendships and fosters support for working moms, stay at home moms and moms-to-be,” Krista Schwarze, a member from Holland Landing, Ontario, says. “I am glad to have found CMC and the friendships inside.” For Jennifer Kleiman, a mom who recently moved from Calgary to Ottawa, CMC has been a life-saver. “This site enabled me to keep in touch with some of the ladies I met out west and has opened the door for me to meet other moms and moms-to-be.... I think I would be lost without it. I'm a new mom and the suggestions and advice I get is beyond anything else.”
If you’re a Canadian mom who wants new friends and a feeling of community, Canadian Moms Community could have just what you’ve been looking for. Visit www.canadianmomscommunity.com for more information.
About the author: Britt Raposo helps moms and wahms across Canada connect with each other through online forums and podcasts. Visit www.CanadianMomsOnline.com
