It’s funny, a year ago I sat down with a potential sponsor who asked for a meeting and the first thing he said was, “I’m sorry– which moms group are you again? There are so many.” Now here’s the thing… he’s not wrong. In fact, there are probably five I can think of off the top of my head. It’s the way he said… as though it was a joke or silly. It was condescending.
The fact is that there are a lot of Moms Groups, and you want to know why? Because there are so many of us with so many diverse needs. Moms of Multiples, Single Moms of Annapolis, Moms of Anne Arundel County–we are all needed with our own special niche and tone. In the end, Annapolis Moms Media started out as just a Facebook group and we are now 21,000 strong with over 90% either commenting, posting or liking something every single month. But we are now so much more than that. We are a movement, a media company, a non-profit arm, and we are a force.
So no, we are not just a silly moms group. We deserve and demand a seat at the table when decisions are being made. We are the ones who can tell you that your camp is too expensive, because we are deciding how our family’s money will be spent. We are the ones figuring out how to work when there’s a snow day, but there is still virtual school and our work has us booked for four meetings. We are the ones who figure out child care when we have conflicting work travel with our partners. We are the ones who book doctors, daycare, and date night.
Annapolis Moms Media is a force and a movement. We are all cultures, ages, sizes, sexualities … and we are not invisible. We are moms who are more than done with decisions being made without us having a seat at the table. Annapolis Moms Media has a loud voice in the form of newsletters, Instagram, a Facebook Group, a Facebook Page, a Quarterly Magazine (both digital and print), events, and we are the stop gap when a mom has her electricity shut off or can’t feed her children.
This year, we will continue doing what we’ve always done–using our loud voice to represent you and your concerns and your needs. We will continue writing articles to help you with the common problems we see you post about every day in the group. We will continue to amplify our collective mom perspective out in the world. We appreciate those who have always included us at their table, and in the coming year, we’re excited to work with those who value moms (as much as they should!) and will invite Annapolis Moms Media to their tables!
Author: Lisa Peri, MSW
Founder & Chief Enthusiast Lisa Peri has dedicated her life and career to both the parenting field and has been integral in many business ventures in sales and media. She earned a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Clark University and a Master of Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania. Lisa is also a proud mother of two wonderful children and is married to Jeff Peri.
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