Whether it be online or in person, mom groups are a big part of the culture today. Social media, particularly Facebook, has a huge community of mom-groups. There are groups for everything from breastfeeding to sleep advice. There's group for every parenting philosophy you can imagine, groups for baby food ideas, and lots of general "mom chat" groups.

Online mom groups can actually be a great place to get advice, ideas, reviews, support, and stay up to date on what's happening in the parenting world. But every group comes with it's disadvantages. Anytime you bring together a large group of people with different opinions, backgrounds, and lifestyles - there's going to be some issues.

The best advice to enjoy what these groups do offer without getting in over your head, is to not take anything too seriously. So in that spirit - I present you the master list of the 4 types of moms you'll meet in every mom group out there.

1. The "Do Your Research" Mom (Who Probably Didn't Do Her Research)

There are tons of "hot topics" in the world of parenting. Vaccines, circumcision, breast vs bottle, food choices, and the list goes on. Every parent has to make their own decisions about what they feel is best for their children. However, you will quickly find that if you choose to discuss these decisions in mom groups - you won't get to make the choices without some backlash. That's where we meet the "do your research" lady. This woman will butt into any conversation to inform everyone of their terrible mistakes. She could be representing any side of an issue but more often than not, she's here to present some pretty ridiculous information she found on the 8th page of her Google search and claim it as fact. 

2. The Hot Mess Mama

There's always a few moms in every group that feel a strong need to brag about just how much of a mess they are. There's nothing wrong with being honest about struggles (it's actually a super great part of our current motherhood society that we don't hold things in.) But this mom will make it a literal competition about who's going through the toughest stuff and who is handling it the worst. It's a very backwards thing and can quickly become pretty irritated when you need to vent and she needs to one up you. 

3. The Sancti-Mommy

"My kids would never do that!" That's right, it's the sancti-mommy. She's here to tell you the RIGHT way to do everything. Your child made a mess? Where were you while that was going on?! Something much worse could have happened! Your baby isn't sleeping well? You obviously aren't using the right methods. Whatever the issue, a sancti-mommy will provide you perfect solution in the most condescending way possible.

4. The "I'm All For" Mother

The judgey-ist judge of them all. On any given day, you'll see a post of a mom proudly breastfeeding in public. Or you'll see a mom sharing the story of enjoying her first hot cup of coffee since she had her child, while their toddler plays independently. Then you'll visit the comment section and find this lovely person. "I'm all for breastfeeding but... you should really cover up in public." "I'm all for independence but children need our attention!" While simultaneously claiming to "all for" things, she will present opinions that clearly show she is not for them at all. And no, she will not see the irony.

Truthfully, this article is all in good fun. There's a place for everyone in mom groups if they want to be there and the groups can be super helpful. Just remember, kindness and respect go a long way!