At 10 years old, parents club boasts loyal members
They were just babies when their parents, maybe feeling a litte nervous and alone in their new roles, sought support and advice on raising a family from the Laguna Beach Parents Club.
A decade later, the children and parents are still reaping the benefits of their early experiences with the club, which will turn 10 later this year.
Famillies gathered Friday evening at Bluebird Park to celebrate the club with cupcakes, bubbles, balloons and pizza.
While children crawled on playground climbers or soared on swings, parents mingled.
“I’ve met some of my closest friends here and it’s just a wonderful support group,” said Christa Henry, who has two children ages 11 and 3.
Henry co-founded the club with Kris Thornton and six others out of necessity. Henry had wanted to be part of a group when her older daughter was born in 2003. Being new to Laguna Beach, she didn’t know anyone, so she decided to join a parenting club in the city.
But Henry was unhappy with the group’s restrictions. Members could not be working or single moms, and same-sex couples were not permitted.
So she and her friends decided to found their own club.
They worked with an attorney to draw up bylaws, established a corporation and developed a website.
The club, Henry said, would be run by family members.
She and friends delivered fliers around neighborhoods, handed out business cards to local shops and restaurants, hung banners and officially launched the club in November 2005. Around 50 family members joined. Today, the group has more than 230 active families.
“It’s amazing for me to see how dedicated the moms and dads are,” said Henry, who is still a member but has a lower profile with the group now that she owns a graphic design business. “I feel so thankful and blessed to have people so passionate.”
The volunteer-run club offers support programs that include weekly play groups organized by the children’s age, monthly coaching seminars for parents, kids’ crafting events, social events and holiday and seasonal celebrations — specifically a Halloween costume parade and an Easter egg hunt.
Its membership encompasses all types of families, from parents who are in their 20s to those in their 50s, to all types of parenting styles, religious beliefs, political opinions and personal aspirations. Many families have at least one child under the age of 5, but the organizing committee stresses that the club has programs that can appeal to older children.
Membership, which costs $40 annually, includes a speaker series that delves into such topics as children’s nutrition, positive discipline, kindergarten readiness and wills and trusts.
For Claudia Morris, the club helped her forge special friendships since she moved from her home country of Venezuela to Laguna Beach.
“I don’t really have family here, but with this club, you’re not by yourself,” said Morris, a mother of two. “Everyone is so awesome and so supportive.”
To help fellow members, the club started offering Meals for New Parents. As part of the service, free dinners are prepared by a local restaurant and delivered to club families who have just brought home a baby. The club orders the food, picks it up and delivers it to the family’s doorstep.
And if members need more ongoing advice, they may communicate online in a discussion forum.
An event deemed one of the most popular is the parents’ night out. Adults can have their children watched by sitters while they meet new friends and share parenting stories.
“It’s such an enormous resource for parents,” said club co-President Lisa Roberson-Beery. “We have a very special community in Laguna Beach, and it’s great to raise these smiling friends.”
Said Christine Russell, the club’s secretary: “I wanted to be friends with these moms even if I didn’t have kids. Just to walk this journey with these women who have great qualities is special. There’s nothing like this. It’s unique and it brings the joys of motherhood and family to an intimate level.”