Helping Myself

I've never been to an al-anon meeting, but I think it would help me immensely. Are kids allowed at these meetings? My kids are 5 and almost 7 and it's really hard to find somebody to watch them around here. I feel like I've become a recluse. I hardly ever leave the house because I only work at an outside job every other weekend. I think I need some outside contact if I want to keep my sanity. Maybe if I found a sponsor and attended meetings I wouldn't fall to pieces when my boyfriend won't come home from the bar. I know I can't change his ways, but I can change mine. But I can't do it alone.

Magichappens

Hey Helping,
There are no set rules for kids. Each meeting makes their decision on how to handle that. At the meeting I go to, they allow children as long as they are not disruptive. A coloring book usually does the trick. I guess you just have to go to find out.

Helping Myself

Thanks Magic. I think I could get them to be good for a while with the right toys. It's not that they are little animals, they're just typical kids who get bored easily and have to fight over who's looking at who. My son even got mad at my daughter one night because she was "breathing too loud". LOL She started crying and yelled at him "I have to breathe!"

Magichappens

I can deal with kids knowing that their parent is there to get the help they need. Kids are going to be kids. Some meetings I've been to even have babysitting. You never know, you may luck out.