The Importance of the Mom Squad

With a new year, there are always resolutions and plans to take more time for ourselves and focus on ourselves. This year I want to resolve to focus on my mom squad.

I have realized how important friendships are when you are a mom. Not only for someone to have your back when you’re late picking up your kids, but also to vent to and share experiences with. After I lost my mom, I realized there was a huge void in my life when it came to the support and guidance of another woman. Not to mention, I had lost my sounding board for all my concerns and complaints! 

My friends have become my support system. They are the ones I go to with a question about a stage my kid is going through or how many days is too many days without bathing my kids! The importance of mom friends goes beyond just the occasional coffee talk at Starbucks. Having a mom squad gives us stability and assurance, and that’s really what every mom needs.

Growing up, I never had a huge group of friends. In high school, I had my core group of four really close girlfriends. I went to a small, all-women’s college in Boston, and it felt like I was part of a small sorority every day. When we moved to Stamford and I had my first son, I searched for a group of friends I could connect with. Luckily, having babies is one of the best ways to make friends as an adult! Between baby yoga and music class, you are constantly being put in social situations where other moms will be, who have babies the same age as yours!  It’s a win-win. 

Those classes may seem lame when you are a first-time mom, but they are there for the moms just as much for the babies. These classes get you out of the house and allow you to “adult” for a little while. Many of my first friends that I made in CT were from these classes, and I learned so much about being a first-time mom from them.  

As your kids enter daycare and school, more opportunities to make mom friends open up.  

Drop off and pick up, school get-togethers, open houses, and play dates will lead to introducing a whole new group of possible mom friends. Not all of them will be your cup of tea, but it’s nice to have some variety to choose from as your kids get older! The friends I have made over the last few years feel like friends I will have forever.

I remember growing up thinking that my mom had what seemed like a squad of mom friends. They were always there to help out, pick us up, lend a hand, and hang out and gossip. But most of all, they always seemed to be having a good time with each other. I finally feel like I have that same mom squad. A group of women I can laugh with, get support from, complain to, and genuinely have a good time with. These friendships are what’s most important.

So as one of my New Year’s resolutions, probably the only one I will actually keep, I vow to make more time for my friends and continue to cultivate these relationships. It is always nice to know you have people who have your back and who you can connect to on more than just the mom level.  

This post is dedicated to the friends who have my back and are part of my mom squad. You know who you are! Who is in your mom squad?