A local resource that plugs moms into volunteer opportunites even with children in tow

Being a mom can be an isolating experience, especially if the mom chooses to forgo the workplace and stay-at-home with her little ones. There can be stretches of days when said mother feels little connection with the outside world, where she questions if she made any impact on life other than heating up a bottle or refreshing one's snack of goldfish and apple juice. Many moms want to donate their time and their gifts to helping others, yet they question exactly how they are to manage such a task when they are also tending to young children as well.

Hearing the call to become active in one's community and actually becoming active is a tricky path to navigate, especially for parents with young children. How does the stay-at-home mom donate her time to others in the community when she has little ones at home who demand so much?

Community Kids Network, a website founded by a DFW mom, strives to connect parents and children with volunteer opportunities in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The unique angle that Community Kids Network takes is that it identifies volunteer opportunities that both parent and child can participate in together. Children need to understand that they are a part of a bigger picture, a cog in a gigantic wheel. Their work and the gifts they possess can positively affect this larger wheel of life. Engaging children in volunteer efforts at a young age helps children understand their role in society and their duty to maintain such a role.

Volunteering with one's child also boosts self-esteem, instills a good work effort, and creates opportunities for parent/child bonding. Community Kids Network strives to match parent and child with volunteer efforts in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, hoping to make a difference in communities and in families across the Metroplex. Moms can now accomplish something bigger than simply bandaging the latest injury or settling toy disputes.

Lynley Baker Phillips is a stay-at-home mommy to two, blogger, former special education teacher, and referee in all major toy disputes. Her writings have been featured in various publications, on her blog, at Examiner.com and (most importantly) on her mother’s refrigerator door. Contact her at savethephillipsfamily@hotmail.com