Mothers Communities

Ties and Benefits of Mothers Communities

Common threads hold communities of mothers together. The essential tie that binds is an interest in children and, as with almost any type of social support, the need to obtain tangible and intangible resources. Tangible resources sought through social networks might include such things as exchange of children's clothes, children's toys, and maternity goods. Intangible resources can include information about pediatric healthcare, advice on parenting techniques, recommendations for specific child services, and emotional support. Empirical research concerning the social networking of mothers is limited and has primarily focused on the promotion of information that allows mothers to join such communities.

The social networks that mothers access can have important influences on their personal evaluations of life satisfaction. Social networks that promote positive encouragement of efforts toward parenting can be highly beneficial for mothers and improve their quality of life. These types of supportive networks can be valuable toward offering access to community services, sharing similar experiences, or reassurances with parenting issues. Additionally, social networks that involve discouraging and derogatory comments can work to devalue the efforts of mothers and lead to decreased ratings of life satisfaction. These types of networks can result in associations of mothers who have experienced significant struggles related to parenting, either with parenting success, economic difficulties, or health-related issues.

Several researchers have noted the influence of social support on mothers' relationships with their children. Mothers who have well-developed social support networks tend to have better-developed relationships with their children. In contrast, mothers who [Page 551]have poor-quality social networks tend to have higher levels of frustration within their parent-child relationships. While many studies suggest that some of the most important social networks for mothers may come from spouses and family members, the value of friendships with other mothers is still highly regarded.

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