Mothers unite using social media

SALT LAKE CITY — Dianne Callister was abandoned at a Salvation Army hospital when she was born.

Years later, after volunteering to play harp for expectant teen mothers in that same hospital, a young woman approached her expressing fears about becoming a teen mom.

Callister jumped into action. She soothed the girl’s anxiety and expressed how grateful she was for her own birth mother, a teen mom who gave her daughter a chance at a better life. This experienced mother calmed a young mom-to-be and helped her see a brighter future.

Sometimes mothers just need encouragement from someone who has been there. But what can mothers do when apprehension and distress hit and there is no one nearby to lean on?

That is exactly the issue American Mothers Inc. confronted at its Moms and Social Media workshop during the national motherhood convention April 30 at the Little America Hotel.

“I hope we can provide some inspiration through (social media) to mothers,” said Connell Branan, AMI’s new national president. “They come from all walks of life and yet they are all working toward that common goal of being the best mom they can be. ... I would hope we could inspire a mom who needs to be lifted up.”

AMI gathered a group of social media pros who are also mothers to speak about the benefits of social media for moms. Courtney Kendrick, Sheri Carlstrom, Kelly King Anderson and Sandy Sponaugle stepped up to share their ideas and experiences.

Kendrick and Carlstrom are stay-at-home moms who manage successful blogs about their mothering lives. Anderson and Sponaugle use social media to further their business goals while they mother their children.

Even though they come from different backgrounds, all four women believe that social media — whether it is a blog, Twitter or Facebook — can be a blessing to mothers.

“The cool thing about (social media) is that you start to become friends with other women in your same situation,” said Kendrick, author of the blog “C. Jane Enjoy It” ( http://blog.cjanerun.com/). “I really have found that social media can help mothers.”

Carlstrom has found connections online as well. After being named AMI’s National Young Mother of the Year in 2010, she started a blog called “Mother of the What” (http://motherofthewhat.blogspot.com/) to chronicle the imperfect, everyday life of a young mother.