| This project explores the phenomenon of mother and child playgroups from the perspective of the women who have participated in such groups. The psychological, sociological and nursing literature is bereft of information on playgroups, with a paucity of written material about the experience of the participants or the functions such groups might serve in the transition to parenthood. This lack of information fits with the general lack of information regarding the subjective experience of mothers.;Although playgroup participants may initially come together following a professionally facilitated group or class, playgroups exist outside the purview of professionals. A unique form of social support created by the mothers who participate, they are a robust social phenomenon. As such, they have much to teach us about the needs of new mothers. The purpose of this project was to learn from the participants more about the supportive benefits as well as the particular limitations and pitfalls of playgroups.;In this study, nine middle-class mothers who participated in a total of sixteen playgroups were interviewed in depth about their experiences. Mothers joined playgroups to mitigate isolation and loneliness, create a sense of community for themselves and their children, have a reason to leave the house on a regular basis, and to receive support on particular issues, such as returning to work and breastfeeding. For all the women in this study, playgroups succeeded in reducing the sense of individual burden and loneliness.;When playgroups went well, they also enhanced self-esteem, provided a sense of belonging, offered beneficial role models, normalized feelings of anger and frustration, and generally provided a buttress against potential internal and societal projections of "the bad mother." Especially helpful was the opportunity to view a diverse group of children the same age. Mothers felt this offered reassurance, and helped them tease apart the confounding influences of biological inheritance, relational impact, and developmental stages.;Playgroups were less successful at containing culturally charged differences or interpersonal conflict. Cohesion in these groups was obtained through the amplification of similarities and the suppression of conflict and negative affect. While competition did occur, the intended aim was generally to reassure the competitor of her adequacy, not to triumph over rivals. When participants felt excessively vulnerable, judged or narcissistically injured in playgroups, they elected to leave rather than attempt to process their experience within the group.;Seven of the nine subjects in this study had mothers who were deceased (1) or who lived elsewhere (6). All of the women with sisters reported positive sibling relationships. Childhood family experiences with mothers and siblings (relational dynamics and role functioning) were found to be salient determinants of playgroup experience.;The most successful groups in this study began with professional facilitation, had members who shared similarities in their age, marital and financial status, and were between five to seven members. |
