The End Of An Era: The Lakewood Family Room Closes At St. James And Reopens At Lakewood United Methodist Church

For the past eight years The Lakewood Family Room has served many purposes in my life and in the health of my family… it has provided healing, given me hope and, ultimately, brought me to a place of happiness in motherhood. The Celebration of the Family Room on Saturday, January 28 was a beautiful tribute to an institution that has supported families in Lakewood for years.

I first discovered the Family Room while suffering from severe postpartum depression after the birth of my son. In those dark days, the simple act of surrounding myself with “normal” mothers provided safety. Although I wasn’t healthy enough to really make friends or share in the social aspect of the program, I recognized how critical it was for me to get out of the house and provide my son with an opportunity to interact with other children. As I took a more active role in my recovery, I used every resource available to become a better mother… including an eight-week parenting class that literally changed my life.

Pregnancy, labor and delivery made me a mother, but it took several years before I truly accepted my role as mom… before I felt comfortable enough in my position to trust my instincts and let go of the impossibly unrealistic expectations I set for myself. Just as I was making this transition, I found a job and my son entered preschool and except for some quick exchanges at community events, I lost touch with Toni Gelsomino and the Family Room.

Then, we were blessed with a second child. Thankfully, I did not need the safety that the Family Room provided, but motherhood provided very few opportunities for social interaction and I craved some adult conversation. It took months before I was comfortable enough to talk to the other women that attended the morning drop-ins… not because they were unfriendly, but because I constantly compared my life to theirs and always declared myself somehow lacking in the area of mothering. Thankfully, my daughter loved attending and her enthusiasm pushed me far outside my comfort zone.

Now I am the one encouraging my daughter to choose the Family Room for our morning activity. It is a place where I, too, have fun… talking to my friends, sharing ideas and accepting suggestions for those tricky parenting questions.

The Open House on Saturday marked the end of an era at St. James. However, everyone shared in the excitement of a new beginning as they prepare to reopen in its new location at Lakewood United Methodist Church in early February. In fact, many people actually went over to the new facility that afternoon to assist with painting. Although I quickly lost count of the people that filtered in and out that morning and early afternoon, it was exciting to see so many faces from my past and present converging in celebration of such a great program. I hadn’t seen some people since my son was a baby and I found it motivating to be able to share with them how far I’d come… to report that I had (finally) found peace in the messiness of parenting.  

Motherhood is a journey and, unfortunately, we are not equipped with GPS for raising healthy, happy children. There are times when everything goes smoothly and then there are times when gigantic potholes pop up out of nowhere. No matter where you are in your stage of parenting (or childcare… I can’t forget the awesome Family Room nannies), the Family Room is a constant source of support, inspiration and camaraderie. I am eagerly anticipating the changes that a new location will bring.