Moms’ Group Supports At-Home ‘Moms Of Today’

By Larissa Lytwyn

On a recent morning in early September, more than a dozen women gathered in the Newtown Meeting House, most accompanied by their young children.

The assortment of babies and tots gurgled, laughed, played and, occasionally, fidgeted and cried — a cycle that seemed to regenerate every five minutes. But, through it all, the adults’ smiles never wavered.

The Brookfield/Newtown chapter of the Moms’ Club, an international organization serving as a support group for, according to its website, “the at-home mother of today,” has been in existence since 2000.

As overall membership has steadily grown, the group is still striving to increase its representation of Newtown mothers. 

“It’s a great way for [town] newcomers to become involved in the community,” noted Mary Pupazzoni, a Brookfield member.

The Moms’ Club does a combination of group activities, from presentations by various community safety organizations to the organization of play dates, to charitable fundraising for new mothers in need.

There are also monthly “Moms’ Nights,” seasonal children’s parties, child-oriented tours of local businesses, and the simple promise of support and friendship for mothers of multiples, “mothers of few, new mothers and expectant mothers.”

Moms’ Nights can herald an evening of many possibilities, from dinners and movies to arts and craft workshops and cooking classes. Most of the activities occur during the day, giving mothers who spend most of their day at home with their children the opportunity to interact with other women in the same position.

The club also offers early-evening get-togethers and playgroups for moms whose partners may work late or often travel.

The club chapter’s president, Glenna Castner of Brookfield, said she founded the Brookfield/Newtown chapter four years ago as a way for mothers, especially those new to the community, or new mothers, to connect and reach out to others in their area.

Among the charitable endeavors the club has been involved in, Ms Castner said, was a fundraising effort to support a Norwalk mother whose husband had been killed in the World Trade Center attack on September 11, 2001.

Ms Castner said the Norwalk woman was just one of many mothers in countless Moms’ Club chapters affected by the terrorist tragedy.

“There were also mothers who lost loved ones at the Pentagon [attack],” she said. She said the groups’ message of support became especially important during this period.

Today, she continued, to see the club continue to develop has been “a dream come true.”

The chapter’s co-president, Newtown resident Jen Decker, said she just moved to the Newtown community this past February.

“I was involved in a Mom’s Club chapter in the town in Pennsylvania where we moved from,” the petite young mother explained. “It was a wonderful way to engage in the community.”

One of the most enjoyable activities she remembers from the Pennsylvania chapter were by local firehouses. “The kids had a blast!” she laughed. “I really wanted to do [a similar activity] here in Newtown.”

Thus, during the club’s last meeting on September 14, the group invited Steve Murphy of the Newtown Hook & Ladder Company to talk to the children about basic fire safety skills. He first donned his protective, fire-retardant gear to demonstrate to the children that, even with his thick helmet and baggy clothing, he was still a “friend” to reach out to during a fire.

He explained how smoke rises.

“Because smoke rises, it’s important to keep as low to the floor as the possible in case of a fire,” Mr Murphy advised the children.

He also encouraged both the children and their mothers to focus on getting out of the house at the first sign of a fire. Physical safety, he explained, could easily be compromised if even an extra second is wasted trying to “rescue” personal goods from the home.

Of course, the visit couldn’t be complete without giving the children a brief introduction to a real-live fire engine.

The children took turns playing with the fire hose as Mr Murphy explained how the truck could easily be identified thanks to its bold red color.

The October meeting of the Moms’ Club will be held in Brookfield. The next activity will be an apple-picking venture on October 1. There will also be a hayride at a local farm on October 6 and a monthly meeting and craft activity on October 11 in Brookfield.

The next Newtown meeting will be held at the Newtown Meeting House in November.

For more information on the Brookfield/Newtown Moms’ Club, or the apple-picking, hayride or craft activities, call 740-2673. For more information on the International Moms’ Club, visit www.momsclub.org.