20 Reasons I Prefer Online Mom Groups

Social Media has completely changed the ‘mom society’. For a multitude of reasons, online social networking as taken over. To be perfectly honest with you, I prefer it that way. Let’s face it; I’m impatient, and I’d rather to do my socializing from the comfort of my own home with quick access to the block button.

Why? Here are the 20 Reasons I Prefer Online Mom Groups to “IRL” Moms

Friendship
Mom groups give you a sense of comraderie. No matter what you post, someone, somewhere, has been through it and can offer advice. Or at the very least, empathize with your situation.

No Pants Required

Perfect Moms
You don’t have to clean your house and put on the ‘perfect mom’ show, handing out healthy snacks to perfect snowflakes who never misbehave. Your house can look like a bomb went off and the kids are eating fish crackers off the floor and no one will ever know.

No Play Dates
You know the ones I’m talking about – where they stay just a little bit too long, the fights over the loudest toy fire truck are a little too intense, and you don’t have to deal with the possibility of not liking their kid.  Hush. You know it happens.

You can’t block IRL
Facebook has this trusty little feature called the block button. Someone annoys you? Block! Someone’s a few fries short of a happy meal? Block!

Fashion Challenged
They don’t care what you’re wearing. Same pair of yoga pants 4 days in a row? Who cares! Your hair is in a knot on the top of your head because you haven’t slept in a week? Meh! Did I already mention the ‘no pants required’ part? The only way they will even know is if you post a selfie in the daily selfie thread. Even then, grab an old one taken days before when you actually managed to shower, and it can be our little secret.

Not So Awkward
Disagreements are less awkward. You had a huge argument with a mom online, you can simply ignore all her comments. You’re not forced to run into her in line at your local Tim Hortons and either awkwardly make small talk, or even more awkwardly, ignore the others existence.

Embrace The Lazy
You don’t have to leave your bed. You don’t have to spend the 2 hours it takes to get yourself presentable, the kids presentable, diaper bags packed, cleaning the inevitable poopy diaper just as you’re about to walk out the door, and you don’t have to remember where little Johnny’s left shoe is.

No Pants
This is a big one. So important that I feel the need to mention it 3 seperate times.

Socialize At Your Convenience.
No one will care if you don’t respond immediately because little Sally took the jar of Peanut Butter and tried to paint your cupboard. You can walk away from a conversation without the reprecussion of it being considered rude. You don’t have to constantly deal with the interruption ‘Mom. Mom. Mommy. Mama. Mom. Mommy. Mommy!!’ while you’re on the phone.

Potty Humor
No where else is it acceptable to socialize while you’re on the toilet. ‘nuff said.

No Bra!
One of the best parts of a long day, is coming home and removing the over the shoulder boulder holder. Getting your daily dose of adult conversation online never requires you to wear this contraption.

Any day, Anytime
It’s 3am and someone is always up. Most mom groups accept members world-wide. So when it’s 3am and you can’t sleep, there is always someone to talk to.

Judgement
You know what I mean. The up-and-down look with a smirk on their face from the group of moms huddled in the corner of the coffee shop. You know they’re totally judging you for the small chocolate pudding stain your child smeared on your shoulder, probably assuming it’s poo.

Silent Tantrums
You don’t have to explain your kids behaviour. Little Johnny slept for a grand total of 2.5 minutes last night and has been a basket case of grumpy all day? No one but you will know, unless  you vent to your group.

The Group Hug
Sometimes, life happens in a bad way. I have seen multiple ‘mommy groups’ come together for an invididual and their family, offering an incredible resource of love, kindness, and support.

Well…
I’m an asshole. Not a huge one. But I’m outspoken, confident, and not afraid of confrontation. In person, that can come across as just a tiny bit asshole-ish. Online, possibly a bit of a keyboard warrior. But who doesn’t like a good warrior?

Anxiety
It’s hard to meet new people. As a mom, it’s even harder than I could have imagined. Not only do you need to find another mom with common interests, sometimes different parenting styles come in to play. Let’s be honest here, online you’re not sitting there anxiously worrying if everyone likes you, or if they’re judging your slightly too short haircut because the hair dresser didn’t listen to you, or if they’re questioning the fact that you use Time Out as a discipline action. There’s way too much pressure in person to be that ‘perfect mom’ that none of us ever are.

Learning New Things
Educate yourself. As I mentioned before, most online mom groups are globally accessed. This means you will be exposed to a multitude of various cultures and ways of parenting. You will repeatedly question your own opinions, possibly re-evaluating what you previously thought. You will become a better person because of this.

DRAMA
We’re all moms. A lot of us don’t get a whole lot of sleep. Or enough hot coffee. Or enough sleep. Have I mentioned sleep yet? You get a large group of women together, and there is bound to be a differing of opinions. Sometimes we can all adult properly and look past those differences. But, on occassion, WW431 in the Mommy Group occurs. The best part is that you can stand by your opinion, you can fight for your opinion, and you don’t have to back down from a disagreement for fear of it impacting your ‘real life.’ It can be entertaining and it’s an excellent way to break up the monotoneous days of cleaning up, tears, feeding the kids, etc., etc., etc., in the day of the life of a mom.