I received this email from a local mom who is desperate to find connections with other moms. Here's what she wrote:

I am wondering if anyone has any ideas on what I could do with my 2 1/2-year-old and my 9-month-old. My parents are elderly and can't handle them together. My husband can't handle them together either, but that is another story. But I would like to get out and meet other parents with kids around the same age in the Raleigh area. I am wore out all the time because there is never a break for me unless I am at work. PLEASE give me some ideas on what I could do with them. They can't stay in the house all day on the weekends.

I would love ALL ideas. She loves the outside, but she really needs to meet other kids and I really need to meet other mommy's for adult conversation. :) Thank you soooo much.

In an attempt to be helpful (putting her family issues aside with her parents and husband), I offered some suggestions. For kids that age, it doesn't take a lot to entertain them - a visit to a park or the library is perfect. And you can often find parents there looking for some adult conversation too.

"How old is your child," is my favorite "pick-up" line (so to speak ... because, to make myself perfectly clear, I am not picking them up) when I'm with my kids on the playground and am standing next to another mom pushing her own child on the swing.

I suggested she check out some of our local baby boutiques, including SmartMomma, SweetBottoms Baby Boutique and The Family Nest, which offer programs for moms and are another source for meeting moms. Meetup.com also is a great place to check for local mom groups.

And, since she mentioned that she worked, I assume her kids are in day care. I recommended she invite some of her kids' friends for a park playdate and strike up a friendship with their parents. That was a great source of friendship for me when my older daughter was young and in full-time care.

What would you recommend this mom do? Please share your tips in the comments box below. (If you don't see the comments box below, you'll need to log in or sign up for a WRAL account. You can do that by going to the top of the page and clicking on either "log in" or "register").

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