Tuesday, August 10, 2010

A Freelance Mom's Club? Maybe?

A little while back, I wrote a blog post called “I Need To Put A Name On This Thing I Do”. Well, I still don’t necessarily have a name for it (although I think deciding to refer to myself as a “freelance mom” was a step in that direction), but I would like to kind of follow-up here on the train of thought I had going on then. Basically, I would like to start toying with the idea of reaching out and finding some other moms to join me in my endeavors and adventures.

What I have in mind, at least for now, is a sort of casual, loose-knit club of sorts. Perhaps in the future it could evolve into something of a more formally organized nature, but I do tend to shy away from the restrictions, structure and, well – politics, to be frank – that tend to come along with a large organization, so we will have to see about that. That’s for another time, though. What I’m thinking of now is something like this:

A few moms, probably four to five at most, who get together for lunch or breakfast once a month to discuss and plan what things we may be able to do to be of help to the needy youth of our community. The group would need to consist of moms who have a heart for teens and young adults, have a little bit of time to spare, and have a lot of patience (these kids will really tax you in the patience department, so dealing with them is not for the person who needs to see immediate results, nor is it for the thin-skinned). I do not – so nor would this group – try to take the place of professional social workers or social service organizations. Rather, we would keep up with services available through such organizations, thus making us able to send a young person in the right direction when they have a need. At the same time, we would plan occasional projects, “random acts of kindness” if you will, such as handing out cold water bottles or sack lunches, gathering donations of clothing and toiletries for youth shelters, or even setting up events such as my Christmas project from last year.

In the process of all this, I suspect other moms will have the same experience I’ve had: Every now and then, you encounter a young person with whom you just “click”. From there, a relationship grows. Soon you’re a mentor, a listener, a shoulder to cry on, a support system in times of crisis, maybe even a laundromat (lol) or a pseudo academic advisor. It can go anywhere, really. Before you know it, you’re in the mom role to someone who needs one.

My thoughts on all this are still loosely rattling around in my head, but I wanted to go ahead and talk about it here because I’m curious to see if anyone expresses an interest in joining me, offers comments or suggestions, or even tells me I’m crazy. Ha ha. Please feel free to comment, or even to contact me privately if you wish. My e-mail is salmagundigeneral@yahoo.com. I’d love to hear from anyone who has anything to contribute – ideas, fleeting thoughts, questions, suggestions, whatever!