I've become the leader of a massive older mothers' playgroup--which has never met. Won't bore anyone with the details; suffice it to say that this playgroup has about fifty-plus members, but many of these have signed up online but have never volunteered to attend an actual meeting. (Though it's true, this playgroup has only existed for a few weeks so we'll see how things develop.)
An interesting statistic appeared in the paper yesterday: in 2009 in the U.S., the only births that increased were births among mothers over forty. They think the recession has caused this lowering of the birthrate, and that mothers over forty are having babies anyway because they simply can't afford to wait.
Perhaps this explains why my older mothers' group is so huge; but it might also explain why few of them actually attend playgroups (or so it seems): they're all too busy working or looking for jobs.
On the other hand: at the same web site where my mothers' group is quietly floundering, a woman posted a notice saying she wanted to form a group for mothers who are artists or aspiring artists--and she received about ten replies almost instantly. It seems that mommies really do want a playgroup where THEY can play...and why not, though it remains a monumental challenge to pursue any sort of art or business with a baby or toddler in the house, demanding your attention at nearly every waking moment (unless they're remarkably independent--which might be true for, oh, two percent of babies). I'm still trying to figure out a way get out the computer when my son is in the room--if I do, he makes a beeline for it and practically claims it as his own toy.
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