If anyone is or has been a member of MOPS, I would be interested to know what it is like. I just read one of their books, What Every Mom Needs, and it has really piqued my interest in joining. I would appreciate any insight anyone can give.

I am a member of the MOMS Club but not MOPS... We have a playgroup about once or twice a week for members with kids of various age groups. Sorry I am not much help!!

I was a memeber about 3 years ago. It was great!!! I'm thinking about joining again. Have you been to the website?

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Advice for the day: If you have a lot of tension and you get a headache, do what it says on the aspirin bottle: "Take two aspirin" and "Keep away from children."
--Author Unknown

I vistied a meeting and it seemed like a nice group of moms, but was a little too religous based for me. I am kind of private in my religion and was looking for more of an unstructered get together instead.

I am currently a member of MOPS (in fact, this is my third year serving as a discussion group leader). I love it (it did take me a little while to get into it though) and would definitely recommend joining! You can check out their website at www.mops.org - and you can find a local group there too if you're not sure where the closest one to you is. If you have any more questions, I would be happy to try and answer them.

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Stephanie
Mom to: Caleb (8/03), Ian (9/05), & Lucas (11/08)

Hi Stephpook, I have a few questions. Is there a fee to a join? In the website they mention childcare during the meetings, is that standard everywhere? Is there an extra charge? Who is that watches the kids and what do they do?

There are two groups near my house and I do think I would like to try and join, just want to make sure it's something I'll be comfortable with.

Thanks everyone for all the input!

3crazykids:

Let's see if I can answer your questions accurately...

1. Yes, there is a fee to join. At my church this year it is $45 per year if you register early, $50 if you register later. You can also pay per meeting. $20 of the registration fee each year goes to MOPS International. This covers the cost of several resources you get from them - usually a book, children's DVD, the MOMSense magazine, MOPS to Mom emails, etc. I'm pretty sure the $20 fee is the minimum wherever you go because you are required to register with MOPS International. Any amount over that goes to your local MOPS group for things like decorations, craft supplies, childcare, etc. My church slashed our MOPS group's budget by like 2/3 this year, which meant they had to raise fees to cover some of the difference.

2. Childcare will probably differ by group. Some groups that meet during the day actually have a Moppets program where volunteers watch the children and actually do activities with them. My MOPS group meets in the evening in order to accomodate working Moms (we have a lot in this part of the country). Childcare workers are paid for their time, therefore there is a $5 per child fee for each meeting (not to exceed $20 per family, I think). I've never had to use the childcare at my group because my husband has always been able to watch my kids since we meet in the evening (my youngest son was still nursing last year so I brought him into the meeting with me). In my group the childcare is more like babysitting (no structured activities - the age range is too large).

Also, I don't know if this is standard, but in my MOPS group, you are allowed to check out the first meeting for free. Our church also has a limited number of scholarships available for Mom's who can't afford the registration fee. Obviously, this would be specific to each group.

I do hope that you decide to at least check them out. I actually hated the first meeting I went to and didn't really settle in until I was asked to serve as a discussion group leader and HAD to start going to the meetings and interacting. It was also through MOPS that I got started in a playgroup that I am still a part of today. The other three moms in my playgroup are some of my best friends and in less than 3 years we have grown from 4 kids to 8 with one more on the way!

If you think of any more questions, feel free to ask, and please let me know how you like it if you do decide to go.

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Stephanie
Mom to: Caleb (8/03), Ian (9/05), & Lucas (11/08)

This is my third year in MOPS and I love it! I think the costs differ at each location. THe $20 to the national organization is standard but after that it is different. One group I was in charges $5 for each meeting. The group I am in this year only charges $10 per semester extra (covers crafts and food).

All of the groups I have been in have childcare free of charge - you just have to sign-up for it in advance. I think it just depends on the location.

I love the opportunity to get to talk to other moms. It is great to remember that other people are going through the same things (or have been through them and have great advice). It's also nice just to have some grown-up time!

I hope you join!

amy

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Amy

Are there varying degrees of religous content? I like some but not an overwhelming amount. That is what kept me from joining where we used to live.

That's kind of a hard question to answer, and again, I think that it would differ from group to group. MOPS is a religious program and is chartered through churches. Our group is not necessarily always overtly religious though (we have many non-christian's who attend and they are always welcome). But I guess it would also depend on what you mean by religious content. We meet in a church and our speakers are usually Christians, but the topics we cover each month are not necessarily religious (some of the topics we have planned for this year are a children's health panel, family and the holidays, intimacy, depression, etc.). Religious issues may arise during the group discussion time, but no one is forced to answer something they wouldn't be comfortable answering.

The one exception, for our group at least, is our April meeting which is always our Tea and Testimony. We serve tea and have special decorations and a panel of women share their stories. The panel always ends with a gospel presentation (basically sharing our faith). We're not pushy about it though and I can tell you from personal experience that those meetings always inspire the best group discussion.

Most MOPS groups should either allow you to attend the first meeting for free or pay as you go. That would allow you to check one or more groups out without committing to anything long term if you do decide that the religious content makes you uncomfortable.

Hope that helps!

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Stephanie
Mom to: Caleb (8/03), Ian (9/05), & Lucas (11/08)