One Wellesley Working Mom's Perspective, or, How the Wellesley Mothers Forum Will Enhance (Save) Your Life

When my firstborn arrived, it was the technological dark ages: pre-web, pre-home computer, and (gasp!) pre-cell phones. My husband and I just relocated from Vermont to our home state of Massachusetts, and I went from full-time professional to full-time mom. While I loved every minute of it, and couldn't fathom leaving my sweet boy for full-time work, I felt isolated. My college friends and siblings were far-flung and my neighbors were seniors and newlyweds. As an extroverted new mom, I worked hard to make connections but soon finances required me to return to work.

Although I had cultivated a small group of mom friends for support and companionship, serving as the group's ad hoc event planner required a fair amount of effort on my part.

Nine years later, our delightful twin daughters arrived to a very different environment: a new home. We purchased a Wellesley fixer-upper on a close-knit street with many young families. Our ongoing renovations and family life left our home looking less like a magazine and more like a "Breaking Bad" meth lab most days, but we developed friendships with like-minded Wellesley parents who turned us on to groups in town that would ease me back into having a social life.

Three Wellesley organizations really helped me through those early years: the Mother of Twins Organization (essential for all twin moms), my elementary school PTO to connect me with my son's friends, and the Wellesley Mothers Forum. 

For women in Wellesley looking for support, The Wellesley Mothers Forum is a vibrant organization of 400+ moms. For over 20 years, the organization serves moms with kids from birth to age 8 via monthly meetings, speakers on important topics like sleep, potty training, preschools and kindergarten readiness. There are playgroups by age and neighborhood, and fun carnivals and Halloween parties. And most importantly for me, the Wellesley Mothers Forum has a subgroup called the Working Moms Group (WMG).

WMG is a lifesaver, particularly for moms feeling isolated and needing kindred spirits. WMG finds those spirits, and fills the void with a wide array of online resources, Saturday morning playgroups, and opportunities to develop friendships with people who don't just live nearby, but who can relate to your daily ups and downs. Can't make a WMG event? The group's online forum is a place to connect with members and post a request for a nanny, a pediatric specialist, or a contractor. For busy working moms in Wellesley, Working Mothers Group is a priceless resource.

Here is one example of help I received. When my twin girls were babies, I woke to severe abdominal pain. That evening, I was in the ER awaiting an appendectomy. Since my husband was camping with my son, I turned to Wellesley Mothers Forum. I posted an urgent need for a sitter online, and was deluged with generous offers of sitters until my husband arrived. WMF community to the rescue!

Now I'm lucky enough to work full-time as a realtor in our wonderful town, and never miss an opportunity to meet working moms and introduce them to the Wellesley Mothers Forum and other great resources in our community. I'm proud to be part of the Wellesley working mothers’ community, and proud to share this knowledge.

Jane Neilson, CBR

Pinnacle Residential Properties

555 Washington Street

Wellesley, MA 02482

781.223.7338