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6. Supporting Women with Children

Intergenerational Programs and Activities

Many UU women are asking for more intergenerational activities in their churches. Perhaps this trend has evolved because most parents now spend the majority of their weekdays working for pay, often away from home. Many say that they do not want to be divided from their children again at church, on the weekend. Instead, they long for more meaningful activities that can be shared by all ages.

Parents are struggling to teach their children values and to encourage them to lead healthy and productive lives. They look to the church for help in meeting these goals, especially in transmitting UU values to their children through shared experiences. Parents say they want more social action projects that can be accomplished with their children beside them. Many UU churches have responded in kind, providing projects and activities—sometimes through their religious education departments and sometimes through their women’s groups.

Some intergenerational programs that have been offered through women’s groups:

• Yearly Mother Daughter Banquet (see Appendix C)
• Mother Daughter Book Club (see Appendix H)
• Mother Son Field Trips to museums etc.
• Father Daughter Retreats
• Family Friendly Potlucks
• Secret Friends Program (see Secret Friends)

Some intergenerational programs that have been offered through religious education departments or other church committees:

• Intergenerational church services, usually monthly or bi-monthly.
• Wednesday night church services and/or family fun nights including activities for children.
• Social action projects:
  • Serving food to the hungry
  • Working together at a crisis center
  • Cutting out scarves for the homeless
  • Collecting food for food shelves
  • Collecting hats and mittens for others on a mitten tree.
  • Put together packets of toiletries for the homeless
• Adult Education offerings on childrearing (see The Parent Trilogy, by the UUA, in Resources)

Childcare

Providing free or low-cost childcare for church events and women’s group programs helps to reduce the barriers for women’s participation. When childcare is offered, mothers (and fathers) describe feeling supported in their role—even if they do not use the childcare regularly.