Community Corner

Choosing to Stay Home... For Now

The women of Golden Valley's MOMS club practice their own kind of social networking.

Just after 11 a.m. Thursday, the sounds of children at play echoed down the halls of 's basement in Golden Valley. Inside the basement's meeting room, Thanksgiving was on the mind of the five moms gathered in a circle.

"We've found great deals on vegetables at Costco," one mom said.

"We've been really happy with what we've gotten from the CSAs (community supported agriculture)," said another.

Find out what's happening in Golden Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

While you might expect a group of stay-at-home moms to be chatting about where they do their shopping, these women say they joined the MOMS club because they work harder now than they did in their full-time jobs. 

The MOMS club, or Moms Offering Moms Support, is an international organization found in all 50 states and in nine countries that's grown to more than 100,000 members since it began in 1983.

Find out what's happening in Golden Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Tricia Wanzek quit her nursing career to stay home with her two girls, but found the move was isolating until she joined the MOMS club about a year ago.

"It's not like any of us were sitting at home eating bon bons and watching soap operas," Wanzek said. "We all wanted to meet women like ourselves—and not just for play dates for the kids."

Wanzek said she wanted better ideas for educating her toddler and preschooler and wanted to do something to give back to the community somehow.

Debbie Cole lives in Oregon City, OR, and oversees hundreds of MOMS chapters, including Golden Valley's. 

"When I first joined MOMS about 20 years ago, I was accused of turning my back on the feminist movement," Cole said. "But I said I was living the feminist ideal because I was making the choice."

Cole said MOMS was formed so women would feel more than just the connection to their kids.  She said moms want to feel connected to their community and especially to other women. Each chapter supports a local nonprofit and meets several times a month—and not just for play dates.

"Some groups might have a bible study or a Quran study. They might send cookies to the troops," she said. "And they can do it while being an attentive mom."

In Golden Valley, the MOMS club's 16 members are in the middle of a food drive for . And although Thursday was more of a fun day, they've got a lot on their calendars—from speakers on positive discipline to couponing to trips to the history museum.

Up until last April, Sonia Casey was an accountant at Medtronic and was right where she wanted to be on her career path. With two kids and a husband who was also an accountant, it seemed like Casey had it made. 

"Unfortunately my second child was sick and we said, 'This is enough. This is crazy. We have no quality of life,'" Casey said. 

There were some good reasons for Casey to quit her job. An October study shows Minnesota ranks among the lowest in the nation for affordable day care.  The Pioneer Press reports the cost of having one child in a day care center for a year runs nearly $10,000.

"There are higher and higher expectations for children entering kindergarten," Casey said. "So we'd need more than just a place for the kids to play. We need to educate them, too."

So last spring, Casey left her job, but not before figuring out how she'd re-enter the workforce.

"I was worried about what a two- or three-year gap in my resume would look like," she said. "But I talked with a lot of upper-level folks at Medtronic about how to account for that time."

Casey took a voluntary lay-off with Medtronic, but knew she'd need to be more than just a stay-at-home mom. She'd need to network and be involved in her community.

The club is looking for new members, as several recently went back to work full-time. MOMS club is a nonprofit organization that doesn't have any political or religious affiliations, and the group of Golden Valley moms who met last week consider the club like an in-person Facebook or LinkedIn.

"The connections I've made have helped me be a better parent," Casey said. "And they're also putting me in a great position to go back to work when the time comes."

"I drive a 14-year-old Civic, and I don't know when we'll get a kitchen upgrade," Wanzek said. "But I'd feel terrible if I missed out on the first time they rolled over, that would really be missing out. I fully plan to go back to work, and there will be money for the kids when they go to college. Right now I'm just hitting the 'pause' button on my career so I can give as much of myself to my family and to my community, and that's a nice choice to have."

If you would like to join the Golden Valley MOMS group, you can visit the chapter's website or send an email.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from Golden Valley