Find Your Support Group💕

Everyone says it takes a village to raise children.

And honestly, I think the village you choose matters more than almost anything else, because the people you surround yourself and your children with will inevitably shape your lives in some way.

One thing I quickly learned after becoming a mom is just how hard it can be to make new friends as an adult.

And I specifically say new friends because even your old friendships naturally change after having children. Life becomes busier, schedules become harder to coordinate, and suddenly your days revolve almost entirely around naps, feedings, routines, and keeping tiny humans alive.

Phone calls become harder.FaceTimes become shorter.And socializing suddenly takes actual effort.

Then add Covid into the mix… and honestly, everything became even harder.

It was such a strange time to become a parent.

No one really knew what was “safe.” People were hesitant about socializing, babies rarely went out in public, and there was this constant uncertainty surrounding everything.

Luckily, Colorado at least embraced outdoor activities fairly quickly, but even then everyone still kept their distance from one another.

As usual, I turned to Google searching for activities and eventually came across My Gym.

It was a teacher led class designed for babies and toddlers along with their parents. The kids would socialize, explore movement and gymnastics activities, and slowly build confidence in a fun environment.

Honestly, I was sold immediately.

The first class definitely felt awkward at first.

At the time, all parents were still required to wear masks, which of course I understood, but it also made it difficult to truly connect with people.

I think one of the strangest parts about Covid was how hard it became to read emotions and facial expressions. Facial cues say so much 😂

But slowly, over time, conversations started happening.

Parents began chatting more.Kids started recognizing each other.And before we knew it, real friendships had formed.

Not only did we meet other families we genuinely connected with, but many of our kids were also the exact same age.

Eventually, playdates turned into regular gatherings.

And after about a year of getting to know each other, we started having girls nights.

Honestly, one of our friends deserves almost all the credit for that because she’s amazing at organizing things and keeping us all accountable about actually making time for ourselves.

At one point, I brought my neighbor to one of the girls nights, and now she’s become part of the group too.

Then another year passed, and another mom joined.

And one of my favorite parts is that all of the dads genuinely get along too, to the point where they eventually started their own guys nights.

In the middle of all the chaos that comes with motherhood, I think people sometimes forget how important adult connection really is.

Time away.Conversations that aren’t centered around children.Moments to vent.Moments to laugh.Moments to feel understood.

The beauty of this group is that it’s truly women supporting one another through hard moments, difficult conversations, motherhood struggles, marriages, exhaustion, and everyday life.

We cheer each other on.We bring humor into the chaos.And we create space where everyone feels heard.

I can’t speak for every woman in the group, but personally, these friendships have carried me through some really important seasons of life.

We all come from different backgrounds.We all parent differently.We all have different careers and family structures.

And yet somehow, we still understand each other.

And don’t get me wrong, my closest longtime friends who live far away are still an enormous part of my life. Whenever we get together, it’s nonstop fun and connection like no time has passed.

But there is also something incredibly special about having friendships nearby where your children grow up together too.

The moms become friends.The dads become friends.And suddenly the kids already have built in best friends too.

At this point, our group has 12 kids… with even more on the way 😂

So if you’re reading this and feel like you’re missing this kind of connection in your own life, this is your sign to put yourself out there.

Join a class.Go to the meetup.Start the conversation.Say yes to the playdate.

Will you connect deeply with every mom you meet?Probably not.

Out of 10 conversations, maybe only one becomes meaningful.

But that one friendship could end up changing your entire motherhood experience.

And you truly never know what can happen until you try ❤️