The Maplewood Moms

My husband is fond of The Maplewood Moms, and I'm also learning to love the group.

It's a Facebook gang of Maplewood parents. You don't have to be a mom; you can be a dad. You can signal your progressive thoughts on gender by writing "mom*" .....The asterisk means you're winking at your audience.

The Maplewood Moms page is an opportunity for piety, and the piety doesn't take much effort. Give yourself four to six seconds, and you can type "STOP AAPI HATE," and you can alter the font so it's very bright. This might lead to forty or fifty self-congratulatory replies: "THIS. THIS is why I love Maplewood."

On quieter days, the moms may ask for a recommendation for a really great pedicurist, a fun resort in Costa Rica, or a cognitive-behavioral therapist for a ten-year-old with mild signs of possible anxiety.

I have found my child's speech therapist through the "Moms," and I also found a doctor recommendation, because my current doctor often makes me wait seventy minutes, and she doesn't seem enthusiastic about giving me Klonopin.

I recently went to the Moms to complain about the intersection next to me; cars go slamming into one another, literally twice in two days, and I have visions of my tiny children in a morgue. I have some information, now, and it's not really satisfying, but I'm still grateful for the Greek chorus of neighbors--and grateful for the fact that they're just a click away.

Give me time, and you might just see me sporting a new tee shirt. "Proud Maplewood Mom*" .......

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