Mommy Cards

[CurlyQ284]

DS had "school pictures" at daycare. I ordered the picture package on line and got this giant promo "Good news! You get FREE Mommy Cards for ordering your picture package!!!!!!111!!". I didn't do anything with it but now I'm getting emails nonstop about my free mommy cards.

They are like business cards for moms. It has the kids picture on it with your contact info to hand out for play dates or babysitters. I would laugh my ass off if I tried to say "And here's my card." All professional. Has anyone seen a mommy card in the wild?

[livinitup]

I know they are hokey as hell, but I can't help thinking they aren't a bad idea. I've only seen one that was close to a Mommy card - she wasn't a mom but she was new in town and had a card with her info on it. She was an Army wife, so she moved around a lot and had to make friends in new locations. I liked it.

[daisybuchannan]

OMG this made me remember when I was putting the "toddler seat" thing on my uppababy, a few of these cards fell out of it! It had lines for your info (name, number, babies name I think). My H couldn't stop making fun of how he pictured me creeping at the park picking up other moms. It didn't help my case that I "picked up" a friend at Pea in the Pod this summer, lol.

I've never used the cards.

[Deleted]

NO.

calling cards, old school edith wharton style? just fine. you could use them for playdate purposes, but also to win free lunches and to network for whatever it is that you may want to network about (knitting groups, potential future business contacts, getting your etsy shop off the ground, meeting new cool moms who don't have mommy cards).

but, damn. being a SAHM shouldn't transform you into someone whose sole business card outreach type thing is a MOMMY CARD.

i feel similarly about married people who share email addresses. BE YOURSELF, JUST YOU, WITHOUT FAMILIAL ATTACHMENT sometimes.

[Captain Serious]

I did receive one several years ago, from a wife of one of my husband's coworkers. I'd known her a while, and asked her what they were for. She explained that she meets so many people in relation to her children, that this is just easier than constantly writing out her information. I thought it was silly and moved on....

Until...I had two kids in school, different sports and activities, and I felt like all I ever did was write out my information. And in so many of those situations, the other parents/adults never remember *my* name, just the boys'. So, when I received an offer for free mommy cards last summer, I figured, what the heck. I've had them for months now, and still haven't given one out, but I suspect that may change this summer once I quit my job and am around the neighborhood with the kids more.

[litebright]

I have them.

Possibly people are laughing up their sleeves at me, but I've handed them out to now-friends, other moms at preschool, with playdate invites, to DD1's therapists, etc. and the comment I hear most often is, "What a cute idea".

I gave one to jezebel the first time I met her, b/c we live close to each other and both have young kids.

[Deleted]

I did receive one a few years ago. It just had her name and number on it, no pictures or anything. I thought it was a little odd at first but once I thought about it, I could see how it might come in handy. Nowadays though everyone has smart phones in their back pockets so it's easy enough just to type someone's name and number into it.

[circa1978]

I thought this was going to be the maternal equivalent of people who play the sympathy card. I play the mommy card all the time.

[mamasaurus]

I haven't heard of them but think they sound like a good idea.

If it has my kid's photo on one side and my info on the other, it will be a handy way of reminding my relatives that yes, my phone number is still the same thing it has been since 2004, so go ahead and call me before you get into town instead of waiting until you're here and trying to make plans last minute because you "weren't sure" if my number changed, dickwads.

Most of the other SAHMs I meet have real business cards because they do something on the side, like photography, teach a knitting class, participate in a home school co-op, etc. I, on the other hand, fuck around on the internet, birdwatch, and plan my life around my kid and my husband's career. You don't get a business card for that stuff, so it would be nice to have something to hand them in return.

[Captain Serious]

To clarify, my cards don't have the boys' pictures on them. They just have my contact info on a nice background, including the website on which they can see some of my travel photos, and one line that says, "Mom to M and J."

I don't like to hand out my regular business cards because they don't include my personal information or cell phone number. I also have calling cards from a non-profit I work with, but it's for a specific cause, and I don't want that to be the association most people I meet causally to make when they think of me or see my card.

[Deleted]

Apr 2, 2013 9:38:15 GMT -5 litebright said:

I have them.

Possibly people are laughing up their sleeves at me, but I've handed them out to now-friends, other moms at preschool, with playdate invites, to DD1's therapists, etc. and the comment I hear most often is, "What a cute idea".

I gave one to jezebel the first time I met her, b/c we live close to each other and both have young kids.

I liked it, it's still on my dining room table! I've actually been thinking about getting some now that L is older and starting to do more activities.

[livinitup]

Apr 2, 2013 9:38:15 GMT -5 litebright said:

I have them.

Possibly people are laughing up their sleeves at me, but I've handed them out to now-friends, other moms at preschool, with playdate invites, to DD1's therapists, etc. and the comment I hear most often is, "What a cute idea".

I gave one to jezebel the first time I met her, b/c we live close to each other and both have young kids.

What's on yours?

[CurlyQ284]

Lol I guess I'm an amateur at this mom thing and these are actually helpful!

Although H doesn't have any activities yet at the ripe old age of 4 months

[speckledfrog]

I think they are unnecessary because most people just plug that info right into their phone.

[litebright]

Apr 2, 2013 13:17:56 GMT -5 livinitup said:

Apr 2, 2013 9:38:15 GMT -5 litebright said:

I have them.

Possibly people are laughing up their sleeves at me, but I've handed them out to now-friends, other moms at preschool, with playdate invites, to DD1's therapists, etc. and the comment I hear most often is, "What a cute idea".

I gave one to jezebel the first time I met her, b/c we live close to each other and both have young kids.

What's on yours?

Mine have my name, my girls' names, my cell number and email. I got the last batch for cheap on Shutterfly, but I've used Etsy before. I like ordering them in small batches b/c then I can switch up the design without going through a ton of them (which I don't). I think they're cute. 

I also use them in luggage tags on baggage and the girls' backpacks when we travel, and keep a couple tucked inside their backpacks, for an extra layer of how-to-contact-us if they were ever lost. Sometimes I've handed one to DD1 to put her pocket when we're at a busy place, with instructions on what to do if she can't find me. 

I also have my regular business cards, but I wouldn't hand those to another mom. I write under my maiden name, so that would kind of be confusing as it is, and I want them to use my personal email, not work. 

ETA: Mine don't have pictures, either. Just a little nature design, a branch with berries. 

[Overthemoon]

My graphic designer friend made me some as a shower gift. They just have a pretty background and my name, cell number, and email address.

I don't use them too often, but they have come in handy when we need to exchange info quickly. I keep a few in the diaper bag.

[litebright]

I also want to add that I thought with smartphones it would be easy to trade contact info, but I've found that most parents are kind of harried at drop-offs and pick-ups, especially if they have more than one kid, and it's just so much easier to follow up a playdate discussion with "here's my contact info, give me a call or an email when you've got a minute" rather than one or both of us messing with our phones right that second while trying to keep track of kids.

[eb777888]

I think they're fine. I've never used them but I've had a few handed to me.

I do recall reading on the nest that some people have huge problems with these, lol.

[amberatkins]

Huh. I met a cool mom while our kids were playing near each other a few weeks ago, and when we had to leave I scribbled my info on a sheet of paper from DS's Angry Birds notebook. In crayon. I like to think that makes me cooler.