Mom Proves Play Dates Are for Everyone

Darry Coggshall, a mom and self-described Westchester “transplant” who lives in Mt. Kisco, realized how hard it was to meet other mothers as friends so she decided to do something about it.

After she became introduced to a different mother’s group, she and another mom, Heather Hoff decided they were going to form a group called Mom2Mom of Northern Westchester that allows for moms to meet up, have a good time and form friendships.

“The premise was that we can take our kids anywhere to have fun, I can take my daughter to Panera with a coloring book and she would have a ball. But how easy is it for me to really meet somebody?” she said. “Mom2mom is sort of a like an icebreaker. We’re just setting up a spot for these moms to come together who wouldn’t normally have ever met.”

Two years, and 230 members later, Coggshall said she idea for the group still remains intact.

“The whole thought was moving here I didn’t really know anyone, I didn’t really know the area, so I wanted to create something for moms in Northern Westchester that would encompass everybody,” she said. “And it just grew and grew—and we had no idea it would even get this big, no idea, but it works and I love having it and I get something out of it—so why not?”

The group does things just for moms, with kids and with the families, so that everyone can feel included, Coggshall said.

“We do everything—we do your typical play dates for all age ranges, we meet at the park, we’ll meet at Panera for lunch, there’s really nothing off limits—we can create fun wherever we go,” she said. “But we definitely do things that just focus on the moms as well. We have ladies night out and we’ll go to movies or dinner or have contests like Top Chef or something like that, but we have a lot of working moms—so we’ll have a bring your family to the park or pot luck meals—this way working moms can get involved and so can the dads.”

Coggshall stressed that the group is formed of women who are very diverse—economically, socially, racially, religiously—and that because the group is so large, tons of webs of friendships have been formed.

“I’ve created some amazing friendships—it seems to be working, whatever it is, I guess I wasn’t the only one who needed something like this,” she said. “Not a lot of us have family nearby, so many of the moms in this group are transplants to Westchester, so I think this is something e really wanted—just a way to meet friends.”

When Coggshall first decided she was going to form the group, her goal was creating a network of 20 moms. Despite the exponential growth, the group is still helping her to make friends, and that’s a growth she certainly doesn’t mind.

“It was kind of a if you build it they will come, as silly as that sounds,” she said. “This way I’m not ‘just’ a stay at home mom—it gives me a lot of joy, something to do outside. It’s something I’m invested in, I have kids and I want to get out with other moms and it was something I wanted for myself, so I’m happy it’s grown.”

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