Good morning! I’m enjoying my cup o’ tea and reflecting on yesterday. It was a pretty busy day, we started our home school late due to a dentist appointment. Then there were piano lessons, and my husband had his lessons to teach here.
The highlight of the day was going to Mom’s Night Out. I have a group of about 15 friends, and we started out long ago when our children were babies or toddlers. It was an organized Mommy and Me, and as part of it was MNO once a month. Well, the Mommy and Me group no longer exists, but we still get together every month for MNO. In true frugal style, we take turns hosting in our home, and everyone brings a snack to share.
Reflecting on the changes over the years, we’ve really come a long way. We’ve rejoiced at births and had those ‘taboo’ showers for second babies (hey, we didn’t know each other when we had the first ones!), and now even have a grandmother! We’ve been there as support through illness of spouse or child, to offer a jump for a dead van, or be someone to listen to complaints or brags. We have inside jokes about equalizing the boobage of the group, and renting a bus and keg during the Superbowl to get all our husbands ‘fixed’. We’re feeling our age creep up, and now we talk about workouts. Our snacks has gone from cheesecake to veggies and fruit. Some of us have small businesses, and we talk about that instead of birth stories. We hug each other about parents with Alzheimer’s and friends who have lost their battle with cancer.
Last night, our group was small. The kids are older and have sports and other practices, so not everyone can get away on a Tuesday night. We had a bonfire and had a very interesting discussion about school. Two of us homeschool (but were former teachers), and one has hers in public school and is experiencing the shock of freshman homework……especially considering they often didn’t have any in 8th grade. We had a good discussion about how much to help your child….what is helpful, and when should you let them fail. There is so much learning in the failing, and so much easier to cope with when you are younger and at home…..like when a baby becomes a toddler….they aren’t far from the floor or mom when they fall.
My thought for you today, do you have a circle of friends? Even if you only see each other once a month? People you could call if there were a serious emergency and you needed to drop your kids off at midnight? Are you that friend for someone else? If not, I highly suggest you cultivate such a group. Find moms of children similar in age to yours, and invite them to your home. Start with a few and meet regularly. Then ask the ladies to invite others. Seek out ladies with no family in the area, they need your friendship the most. If your area has a Newcomer’s Club, let them know you are interested in knowing about new people.
Once the ladies are meeting, encourage those guys to get together, too. My husband has just started being part of a guys group, and is finding it great to be able to talk about things, and brainstorm together about situations. If open ended talking isn’t your thing, you can start your group around an activity…..a game night, scrapbooking, knitting, or Bible study. But do it. You will be glad you did.