SWAMPSCOTT — Caroline Allen, founder of a new business called The Mom Connection, has two informational events coming on March 8 and March 18.
“This is a great opportunity to kind of get a feel for what The Mom Connection is all about, which is both that connection piece in terms of meeting other moms,” Allen said. “Then there’s also the resource part and the support part.”
At the informational sessions, she will discuss the toddler programs she has planned. These groups will focus on a new topic each week, from tantrums to picky eating.
The programs are “not just opportunities to mingle, but they’re really opportunities to dive into topics that all moms can relate to, maybe struggle with … and find that connection and support within that conversation,” Allen said.
Allen launched The Mom Connection earlier this year to “connect and support moms” during their “parenting journey.” But the effort to connect families started before the creation of The Mom Connection.
“I’m a working mom to two kids under three, Johnny and Maeve,” Allen said.
When she first moved to Swampscott from Boston, she spearheaded family events in town with “the goal of connecting families to one another, you know, especially moms.”
“At these events, I spoke to so many different moms, many who said they felt it was challenging to meet new moms in town where they wanted to build that connection and friendship,” Allen said.
Fellow moms would also express challenges they were having with certain aspects of parenting.
“A mom would tell me a wild story about one of their toddlers not sleeping or how difficult breastfeeding really is, and how they wish there were more opportunities to connect with moms who are in similar situations and have similar age kids,” Allen said.
After having those experiences and completing training from Nurture By NAPS, an online learning platform for parents, she had the “the tools, the resources, and the inspiration to create The Mom Connection.”
The spring programs, which include the support group for toddler moms with both online and in-person options, start on April 6.
“Toddler moms we define as if you have a kid between one and four years old,” Allen said.
Since Allen has a full-time job in addition to running The Mom Connection, the sessions are being held at night. In order to balance her busy schedule with work, The Mom Connection, and family, Allen said she is 100 percent “invested” in what she is doing at any given time.
“So if I’m with my kids, I’m fully with my kids and I’m not trying to multitask or if I’m working I’m fully with work and my kids are taken care of with support or help or my husband and so, I try to use that philosophy rather than trying to do everything at once,” Allen said.
The response from the Swampscott community has been “really positive,” she said. While her upcoming programs are for moms with toddlers, she wanted to emphasize that there will be more opportunities for moms with kids of all ages in the future.
“I would say if someone is not able to do nights or you know, still reach out to us because even though these are the first two groups I am going to be having more groups and the more information I get about … preferences and interests the more I can offer groups that align to what the community need and what moms need,” Allen said.
She offers introduction calls to discover those community needs.
“There’s really something for everyone with The Mom Connection,” Allen said.
