Sunny skies greeted mothers from as far away as Montana and as close as New Jersey. They were arriving in Smithtown, New York to attend the 19th Annual Mothers' Center Conference. From November 6th through 8th, 1998, the National Association of Mothers' Centers (NAMC) held what has become a highlight for their membership. Over 200 attendees, from 23 Mothers' Centers in 10 states, took planes & trains, or dusted the pretzel crumbs from the seats of their vans and station wagons to be able to meet, share, learn and have fun.

The conference program reflects the NAMC's unique commitment to all mothers - whether they are at-home, working out of the home, adoptive, biological or the myriad of other choices they've made or circumstances they face. This annual event provides the same kind of connection, information and support for the very important work of mothering that women find at local Mothers' Centers. In addition, the conference offers Center members support for the very important work of establishing and sustaining a local Center. Representatives from Centers throughout the country meet, network, learn from each other, and attend a very varied program of workshops ... not to mention have a little rest and relaxation along the way.

This year the program included two wonderful speakers:

•Mr. Christian Kjeldsen, VP of Community & Workplace Projects at Johnson & Johnson, who is responsible for his company's well-known and respected Balancing Work & Family Program. He is recognized as a national expert on corporate child and elder care programs and spoke about how to create a win-win equation where both employers and employees benefit from "family-friendly" policies that are responsive to parents' and children's needs.

•Dr. Dana Raphael, PhD, is a medical anthropologist and Director of the Human Lactation Center. and an adjunct professor at Yale, School of Public Health. Dr. Raphael spoke about "matrescence", a term she coined to refer to the process that women experience in their transition to motherhood. Her message is that very woman is different; that she comes to matrescence with her own unique experiences; and that every mother deserves support.

In addition, there were over 30 workshops on topics as diverse as women's ways of leading, communication in families, the emotional transition back to work, forgetting the tooth fairy and other parenting mishaps, providing a nurturing environment in your Mothers' Center, creating a presence in school for working parents, and children's emotional resilience.

The strength and breadth of the NAMC was impossible to ignore as scores of mothers who are creating and sustaining local Mothers' Centers in communities across the country were brought together for this wonderful weekend. The conference continued the work of the NAMC to make each and every center and each and every woman stronger. Consider joining us for our 20th Annual Mothers' Center Conference which will kick off the 25th anniversary year of the Mothers' Center program.