It's been a tough go trying to find new friends since becoming a mom 17 months ago. The girlfriends I've had for a long time are amazing and so necessary in my life, but since none of them have kids yet they often just can't relate to many of the things that are going on for me now. My interests have expanded, as well as my daily routine being completely different than before. I'm a stay-at-home mom, and my days are spent going to drop-in centres, toddler programs, playgrounds, library reading groups, the grocery store, etc., things that they would have no interest in doing with me (hell I wouldn't want to do them if I didn't have a kid!). I've met a few moms here and there, but no strong connections had really been made until kind of recently.
About 5-6 months ago I met another mom at the community centre Owen and I go to. She has two kids, her son being the same age as mine, and we clicked right away during our Enjoying Your Toddler group. As the only two mothers at the group (the rest were nannies or grandmas), we felt relieved initially to have someone else to chat with, but it quickly turned into a real friendship that's been growing steadily ever since. We've been pretty inseparable, signing up for the same programs, hitting up the science centre with the kids, and we recently started a small walking group with another mom. A few months ago we decided to try going out without the kids - kind of a test to see if we we'd still click without the kids or find out that they were really the only reason we got along at all. We realized right away that night that we had nothing to be concerned about, and now we go to movies, out for drinks, or even just watch tv at her place while the kids are sleeping. We joked recently that people were going to start wondering if we were "special friends"... but it just works, you know? Last week we met at another new friend's house and sat out on her back deck until 1:30am, just chatting, enjoying some wine. I left that night looking so forward to the family BBQ we have planned, girls nights out, and continued playdates at splashpads and playgrounds throughout the summer. It feels like it's been a long time coming, and I'm so happy to feel like I really have my own little mom-group now!
With the addition of these new friends I feel like I've got such a well-rounded social thing happening right now. I still have my "old" girlfriends who are there for me, especially when I want to dig deep, or spend a night out on the town (that sounds cheesy... *shrug*), and I have my new "mom" friends who support me and understand this new part of my life. I can be serious or silly with any and all of them, but I know who to go to for what. It's just so great to have them all. I feel really lucky today, so, kisses to all my special (and "special") girls out there. You all hold unique places in my heart and I thank you all for being so wonderful.
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