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The beginning: 1984 (post #1)

July 16, 2018
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A look back over three decades... (post #1)

Our grassroots nonprofit organization was founded in 1984 by Cheri Loveless, Linda Burton and Janet Dittmar and originally named Mothers at Home. (In 2002, the Board of Directors changed the organization's name to Family and Home Network.)

Based in northern Virginia, Mothers at Home was “devoted to the support of mothers who choose (or would like to choose) to stay home to nurture their families.” Its goals were: “to help mothers athome realize they have made a great choice; to help mothers excel at a job for which no one feels fully prepared; and to correct society’s many misconceptions about mothering.” At that time, prevailing messages to women were that they could (and should) “do it all” and that success and self-worth were to be measured by academic and workplace achievements. Media reports depicted working mothers as the epitome of the modern, enlightened women; in comparison, at-home mothers were referred to with demeaning stereotypes drawn from 1950s-era television sitcoms.

For more than three decades, we've been listening to the thoughts and feelings of tens of thousands of parents. For 22 years, we published an award-wining monthly journal - Welcome Home - written and edited by parents, for parents.

We write books and policy papers, speak up on behalf of at-home parents to media representatives and legislators, and offer workshops for new parents. We keep up with new technology to communicate with parents. 

Our focus is on the essential need for nurturing relationships, and we work to help families spend generous amounts of time together.