A year after Lynnea Ranalli-DelRosario had her daughter, Faith Eternity (pictured above), she joined the Northeast chapter of the International MOMS Club, a support organization designed to help stay-at-home mothers stay sane. As the 35-year-old made friends and set up play dates, she noticed that certain members of the group weren't entirely keen on her. Then again, your average pastel-draped minivan pilot doesn't dress in black or have 10 years experience as a dominatrix.

Then one day she received notice that her membership had been terminated; apparently, some of the other moms seriously thought she was a vampire. "It was discrimination. It's not like I was drinking blood and sacrificing babies," says Ranalli-DelRosario. Others felt the same way; after she wrote a letter to the board of directors, 30 people quit in a show of support.

The incident motivated Ranalli-DelRosario to create Kinderbats, a monthly party at Ulana's where busy goths can spend time with their children in a safe, welcoming environment. Ranalli-DelRosario provides a buffet dinner and treats the mostly 5-and-under crowd to candy and juice. The most popular activity is Scarioke, a gothed-out version of karaoke where kiddies sing along to everything from Duran Duran to The Nightmare Before Christmas soundtrack.

Having Faith put Ranalli-DelRosario's hard-partying days behind her. And since many of her old friends have also started families, Kinderbats is a logical next step. "We don't need to go out to clubs anymore. But it's cool to feel like we're out [and] still have our kids with us," she says. "We're not into partying anymore. We're into doing stuff with our kids."

For younger goth clubbers, credibility is everything—everyone loves to boast about how long they've been a part of the scene. Ranalli-DelRosario laughs when she thinks of what Faith, now 2, will say when she's older. "Our kids are going to be so elite," she jokes. "They can say, 'I've been going out since I was two!'"

Kinderbats X-Mas Party, Thu., Dec. 29, 5-9 p.m., $5, Ulana's, 205 Bainbridge St., 215-922-4152, www.gothparents.meetup.com.