ROMP is a group of Rather Open-Minded Parents, started by strong, individualistic, like-minded mothers who wanted to create a community in the Sierra Foothills - and eventually across the U.S. This South Bay chapter of ROMP_Cafe started August 2008.

Our goal is to grow friendships and bond as women, mothers and families during these very special child-rearing years and beyond. This includes partners/husbands, in hopes of creating true community. Meeting in person is key in developing real friendships.

We lean toward Nature as our guide and hold a natural parenting and family approach. We honor our children's innate intelligence and our families as precious. We question and discuss societal and cultural "values" and thoughtfully choose what works for our families.

We are parents of babies to young adults. We are home- and hospital-birthers, breast- and bottle-feeders, attachment parenting types, home- and traditional-schoolers, married, partnered, single, blended families and more. We co-sleep and give our children their own rooms. We vaccinate, don't or choose only certain ones, cloth- and paper diaper our babies' bottoms. Sexual orientation, relationship status, religious/spiritual leanings and politics are varied and accepted.

Our vision has so far manifested in meetings at parks, phone & email chats, home get-togethers, potlucks, camping, hikes, hot springs outings, river outings, sharing community activities, this online group site and the birth of the ROMP website (soon to be unveiled!). Still to come: grass-root nature-inspired-birthing-and-parenting advocacy, wild t-shirts, group outings, and more. It's exciting to see us grow and to anticipate how beautifully our lives will weave together to the benefit of us all.

Welcome all you fabulous Mamas & Papas!!

P.S.: WHEN requesting to become a member, write a bit about yourself, your family, and why you'd like to join. Requests with little or no text get deleted as junk