Palatine Mom 25 Daughter 18 Months

Try joining a Newcomers Club in Palatine. I joined one in Park Ridge when I moved here 5 years ago. It is a womens social club with women only nights out, family outings, couples events, etc. I have met all of my friends through this club. Most of the women in my club are in the same situation as you - young kids and looking for someone to hang with. Good luck!

I would highly recommend Parents Who Care, aka PWC, found at parentswhocare.org They are moms of toddlers and preschoolers around the NW burbs and they do all kinds of activities. I made a bunch of friends through there and there were lots of socialization ops for the kiddo.

Hi A.,
Go to www.meetup.com and type in "Palatine Moms." It is a group of over 100 moms with a full activity calendar, playgroups and LOTS of events - both with kids and without. This is the best thing I've ever joined for both my daughter (16 mos) and I. My playgroup moms have become dear friends and I wouldn't know what to do without seeing them weekly. It is a members-only group, so you will have to talk with the group organizer Lori before joining, but she is super-nice. They do have a large membership and Lori is crazy busy, so if you don't hear back from Lori for a few days just e-mail me and I'll connect you with one of the other organizers.
Best,
Mary-Claire

I know how you feel. I had my first child at 27 and looked 21. Try Lakeside Moms and Tots out of Lake Zurich. I was a teacher as well, and it was a great fit for me. They have moms groups, playgroups and kiddie outtings. 8 years later, the women I met there are still some of my closest friends. S.

I am 26 and a Mom to a 9 month old girl. I joined a playgroup through meetup.com. They have them everywhere. Visit the website and check out everything. I bet there is one in Palatine (I'm in Bartlett and a part of the Greater Woodfield playgroup).

A., If you are open to friendship it won't matter to you how old the other moms are. And if you have a special ed degree you are truly lucky. I am wondering why you aren't using it. Special ed teachers are highly sought after. And they get paid well. But if you just are particular about friends and don't need much money why don't you just go to some swim classes with your daughter and you will meet more moms there. There has to be a mom your age somewhere in all of these activities. How did you happen upon such old moms?

Ditto to the meetup.com suggestion. I joined the "NW Suburbs Moms of Babies and Toddlers" group through that site, but there are a lot of other groups as well, depending on your location. Also, I'm finding that it really doesn't matter too much how old you are - mostly how old the kids are.

My name is G. Chambers and I'm 28. I have a 6 and 3 yr. old. Would love to meet! We have a family membership to Lifetime gym in Schaumburg and love to hang out at the pool there. Get a hold of me at ____@____.com.

Hi A.!
My name is A., & I'm 26--I live in Palatine with my husband & 2-year-old daughter, & we're expecting another one in November. I work full-time during the day, but I have Fridays off in the summer. I have a pool in my apt complex, but it's always packed with rowdy kids. I was thinking of getting a kiddie pool & hanging out in my mom's backyard all summer, to cool down & relax. Other than that, I love to read, I'm very interested in mother & baby issues, since I'm a postpartum doula, and my hubby & I enjoy movies & Guitar Hero. We don't get out much, but love to have people over. If you're interested in getting together, let me know. :)

~A.

I'm a 27 year old mother to a 3.5 year old boy. (I was 21 when I got married, and 23 when I delivered him.) I know exactly how you feel being a "young" mom. I've always had a lot of friends but lately I really wanted "mom friends". I tried everything- park district programs, bible studies, swim lessons, music classes- to find friends for the two of us. Then, last summer I too joined meetup.com. Since then I've made some WONDERFUL friends in and around my town. There are 5 of us out of the 40 members that get together without the big group for family things like BBQs, baseball games, and birthday parties. Our hubbies are even hanging out- ON THEIR OWN! My husband use to tease me about "meeting my friends online" but now he sees how close we are and is glad that our son and I have so much to do. The meetup group plans trips to the zoo, splash parks, local farms, parks, nature centers, lunch dates, holiday craft times etc.... for the moms and kids. As just moms we go to the movies, get our nails done, take cooking classes, exercise, and have a book club, etc.... And get this, meetup.com is FREE TO JOIN. I would suggest meetup.com to anyone looking to make connections. Like the above poster said, they have groups in almost everytown. There are 5+ mom and tots groups just in and around St. Charles. Good luck!