Local mom Rachel shares her experience attending and volunteering with MOPS in Greenville. This local moms group offers support for mothers of preschool aged and younger children. To find more options for mothers needing support, see our list of Mom Groups in Greenville.
Motherhood is both beautiful and hard and no one understands the roller coaster of emotions that you feel when you’re in the midst of it more than other moms! There is something absolutely freeing about sitting down with a fellow momma and hearing her say, “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’m 60% coffee and 40% dry shampoo at this point too.” But if finding a spouse is hard-work, finding a mom tribe can sometimes be just as hard!
When my husband and I moved to Greenville in 2014 with our 6 month old little girl, I was incredibly lonely. I loved taking care of my daughter, but was desperate for adult conversation and connection. In fact, I was two seconds away from running up to any mom with small children and strapping myself to their legs yelling, “Please be my friend!” Thankfully, someone spared me some embarrassment by suggesting I look for a MOPS group in the area. And it was there that I found an amazing group of women: my tribe!
What is a MOPS group?
MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) is a place for mothers of children from birth to kindergarten to be encouraged and supported by other moms in this incredibly rewarding yet infinitely challenging season of life. It’s a place to connect with other women in our community and a place to get some encouragement. Because, let’s face it, we are all on this journey of motherhood together! Though we may not always see eye to eye, we can walk arm in arm as we raise tiny humans in the best way we know how.
Greenville is full of young families and continues to welcome more to the area every day. With this growth comes a huge need for mom groups! Moms desire and crave connection and MOPS provides just that. A place to sit down with a cup of coffee, socialize with other moms, use our hands to create, and listen to someone share about issues that resonate with each of us.
This will be my third year in MOPS and I literally could not imagine being without it! As our original group at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church has grown, our space has filled up fast and we were forced to start a waitlist. Recognizing what a vital role this group played in my own life, I hated to turn away other moms who needed the same benefit. In order to serve more moms in our community, we are now starting a new MOPS group in Greenville! This new MOPS group will meet one Wednesday evening each month from 6:30-8:30 pm at Seacoast Greenville (Carolina International Preparatory School) at 212 Roper Mountain Rd Extension in Greenville. Starting September 27th, this new group will be a “sister” group to Buncombe Street, meeting separately but joining together for monthly play dates and mom’s nights out.
Our theme this year is “Free Indeed”. Is it your desire is to be free? Free from worry. Free from feeling stuck. Free from hustling to be loved. Free from a heaviness you can’t put your finger on. Free from thinking you should be something other than exactly who you are. This year, we will we choose wild, unexpected freedom; the kind that brings more laughter and less worry, more contentment and less hustle. Freedom that is so contagious, the people around us are compelled toward their own liberation. You can watch more about the theme here.
Consider joining us!
If you’re reading this and raising your hand saying, “Yes, sign me up for this!” we would absolutely love to have you join us! Feel free to visit this website info or email seacoastmops@yahoo.com for details of the new group and how to join. It’s $31.95 to register with MOPS International which covers your welcome kit, quarterly magazine, online resources, and ultimately a great community of moms!
There are other great MOPS groups in the surrounding area as well! Click here and type in your zip code to get a list of all the groups close to you.
Being a mom is hard enough on its own! Come be a part of a great community of moms who can run this marathon of motherhood right along side of you!
Rachel graduated from North Greenville University in 2003 and loved the area so much that she moved back 11 years later! She met her husband, Clarence, who is from Singapore while living in Asia for 3 years. Now settled state-side, they absolutely love living in Travelers Rest with their two children. Rachel enjoys a good bargain, a great read, and a generous portion of cheese fries. 
Sounds like a good group. But is there anything for Stay at home dads and their kids? I’m not coming up with much. We’re in Greenville, SC and my almost 4yo is dying for playdates and interaction.
Thanks!
We haven’t heard of anything, but someone needs to start one! I’m going to post this question on our Facebook page and maybe it will stir up some ideas (or maybe there will be a group out there).