You’ve been racing since the crack of dawn – cleaned up three potty training accidents, done two loads of washing, scrubbed Weetbix off the floor, cuddled a whinging baby for two hours straight, and watched The Wiggles DVD for the fourth time. And it’s not even 9am. If someone offered to look after the kids for two hours while you sat down for a cuppa and a chat with some other mums, you’d probably jump at the chance, right?

Every fortnight around the country, thousands of mums do just that. They leave their little ones in the care of volunteers, and meet up with other mothers zero to five at Mother of Pre-Schoolers (MOPS). It might sound like the name of a cleaning group, but the last thing on these ladies’ minds is the housework.

"They leave their little ones in the care of volunteers, and meet up with other mothers"

“I couldn’t believe it,” says mum of two Samantha Rogers,”…that someone who didn’t even know me would give up their time to look after my kids so I could get a break.”

Mothers of PreSchoolers, or MOPS as it’s known, runs groups in over 100 churches around Australia. Mums meet over morning tea and listen to a guest speaker. Topics range from kids’ behaviour to beauty tips, and everything in between. After the talk, the mums discuss what they’ve just heard and learn from one another.

MOPS prides itself on being an all-inclusive and non-judgmental environment where any mum can just come as they are and be encouraged to be the best mum they can be.

"Topics range from kids’ behaviour, to beauty tips, and everything in between."

Being mum to babies and toddlers is the most challenging time in motherhood,” says MOPS member, Cherie Macchiusi. “It’s hard to find time to just be ‘Samantha’ or  ‘Kylie’. And it can be very isolating.”

“I don’t know if I could’ve got through these last two years without MOPS,” says Samantha. “It sounds like an exaggeration, but it’s not. My husband and I moved here from interstate. He works fly in-fly out, so I’d be on my own for a week at a time and I felt like I was drowning. Meeting other mums who felt the same and just loved me for me was so inspiring.”

“The whole family benefits,” says Cherie. “At MOPS our motto is ‘Better Mums Make A Better World’, so we aim to teach the mums something, as well as give them the chance to rejuvenate their mind, body and spirit – so they can be ready to tackle another day in the world’s toughest job.”

This May, MOPS WA hopes to inspire lots more mothers of preschoolers at its first Better Mums Conference – a one-day conference with guest speakers from Nature Play WA and Your Image Now, and a psychologist.

For more information

email bettermums@gmail.com

or call Miranda on 0412255434