An Update on Secular Parenting Groups

By Ute Mitchell, Parent Community Coordinator

“Herding cats”—you’ve all heard it said before about gathering non-theists together. Secular parents come from all walks of life, and almost all of them have different ideas of how they want to raise their children, what they want their children to learn, and how to go about it. The only thing we all do have in common is our non-belief in a supreme being.

Many of us do, however, feel the need to connect with others, with like-minded people who will offer friendship and support. When my husband and I started a Secular Sunday School program in Portland, Oregon, three years ago, I had no expectations at all that this would turn into a popular program. Today, our group is more than 90 families strong. We offer Sunday School, Tween Movie Nights, service projects, parenting discussion groups, and more to our families.

I’ve spent the last couple of months communicating with secular parents around the country, all of whom have the desire to start their own secular parenting groups. And some have already stepped up to the plate, have created Yahoo! Groups and Meetups, and have scheduled first get-togethers already. Additionally, I have created a group with Yahoo! Groups that allows all parents to chat on a national level. If you are interested, please visit and join us. We do have a lively conversation going.

You may also check out the following local groups who have started up in these areas:

Bay Area Parenting Beyond Belief

CFI Secular Parenting Meetup of Beaverton, OR (existed before the launch of FBB)

Foundation Beyond Belief Twin Cities

Fox Valley Secular Parenting Meetup, Illinois

Parenting Beyond Belief – Cincinnati Chapter

Parenting Beyond Belief of Florida

Valley Skeptics in the Park, San Fernando Valley (existed before the launch of FBB)

 

(Please note that “Parenting Beyond Belief” parenting groups have no direct affiliation with the book Parenting Beyond Belief or its authors.)