Finding Mom Friends in Richmond, VA
I felt out on an island when I became a mom for the first time. Most of my friends either had kids that were already in school, or they didn’t have kids yet. I didn’t have a community of mom friends who were in the same boat as me, who were sitting up with babies at 3am, or having trouble nursing. The moms I talked to commiserated with me, while secretly thinking “thank God I’m not in that phase anymore.” It was a lonely place to be.
I joined a mom group in the early bits of motherhood, which met monthly in Richmond, but I found I didn’t have a lot in common even with these women, who were all several years ahead of me and much more in a parenting flow. Plus, I was working full-time at the time, nursing my son to bed, and the timing was never quite right to make it to the meetings.
Then after my daughter was born, I quit my full time job, the pandemic hit, and we were all isolated in our little home bubbles with very little support from others. I was in a unique work situation, where I was home all day (running a business) but my kids were at daycare. It was a lonely place to be.
Once my oldest was in Kindergarten, I did eventually find parents who were in the same timeline as me, and parenting and motherhood is much easier when you realize you’re not alone. We’re not all the same, but when you’re walking together with others walking the same path at the same time, you feel less lost.
In lieu of waiting until Kindergarten to find mom friends, I’ve put together some suggestions for how you can find friends as a new parent in Richmond.
Use your proximity.
If you live in a neighborhood that’s active on Facebook or Nextdoor, like my current neighborhood, make a post and invite other parents to take a walk, have a playdate, or go for coffee. (You could do this before you even have kids - if you’re pregnant, you might find other pregnant people to be friends with!)
No online activity in your neighborhood? Watch for strollers, bikers, and walkers. Go to the closest playground and chat with parents who have kids in similar age brackets as you. You can do it without making it creepy, like asking if they’d like to meet up at the same playground on a weekly or monthly basis if the kids are playing together. It feels safer because you don’t have to commit to anything other than coming back to the playground. (And if they turn out to be unfriendly, you can switch up your playground time to avoid them.)
Shared experiences and interests
If you live in an area where you don’t see any other families in your life phase (like our last neighborhood), you’ll have to do more digging. The key is routine, where you’ll see people more than once, like at a house of worship, a regular class like kindermusik or The Bunny Hive, or your local library branch for a weekly or monthly program.
If you’re in a creative career, or can swing getting out of the office every third Friday, monthly Creative Mornings meetings are a great place to meet other people in creative fields. You’ll find people in every phase of life here, and might be able to find someone who is walking the same path as you.
If you have a pet, and want to meet parents who also have that same type of pet, look online for groups like James River Greyhounds, which hold regular meet-ups with Greyhound parents (both with and without kids).
If you care about the environment, and want to find other like-minded folks, check out groups like Keep Virginia Cozy, which holds litter pick-ups on a regular basis.
If you work full time, particularly in a larger organization, check with your HR team and see if there’s a parent group or a wellness benefit available where you might meet other parents. I did a quick online search for wellness benefits at Capital One and VCU, and both of them offer ways to find people who have similar interests.
Places to go
If you need to stretch out even further, or need ideas of where to take your kids where there might be other moms and kids, here’s a short list of Richmond places you can go:
Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico, or Hanover County Libraries - even if you “only” have an infant, other parents could be there with infants and older kids.
Children’s Museum of Richmond - best for kids that are walking on their own
Pre- and postnatal yoga classes like Whole Heart Space or Mybirth.
Fit4Mom if you’re into group fitness classes.
I know how hard it is to find people in the same phase of life, and how isolating it can feel when you feel like you’re alone in it. (You’re not, but your feelings are valid.) I hope this list helps you find some new friends in Richmond, who are in a similar situation, and can help you feel like you’re in it together.
