5 Reasons To Invest In Your Mom Friends

This season of motherhood can be daunting. The days are long. Patience runs thin. Free time is rare, and the effort to connect with friends is sometimes more energy than what is left in the tank at the end of the day.

My mom (and dad), now Nana and Papa to seven grandchildren, recently took a three day motorcycle trip in the mountains with two of their most dear friends. They all met in college. All their kids are grown and off living life with their own families. Their trip made me reflect on the rare and beautiful friendship that they have poured so much into.

Let me tell you a little about my mom and her friend Sue. They have fun no matter what they are doing. I spent an hour or so with them after the trip, and I was doubled over in laughter listening to all their regular experiences turned into hilarious adventures. They had countless stories of fun after just a few days. What a gem of a relationship to have after your kids are grown.

The days are long but the years are short.

You likely have already heard that phrase. Having friends to walk through the season of life you are in is really key to making it some days. I’m fairly certain it was on accident, but my mom happened to have a friend in Sue that had walked through the first few years of motherhood before my mom. Sue’s youngest of three kids is the same age as me, and I am the oldest of five. As my mom was navigating motherhood for the first time, Sue likely had advice that really helped my mom get through the tough days.

Friendships for your kids matter.

I will always have great memories of growing up with the kids in Sue’s family. We lived a few hours apart, but I always remember my parents making the effort to take weekend trips to visit them. We had some really fun times on their farm, and growing up with other kids that had the same values as we did helped shape us into great adults. It is easy to overlook this, but everything you do matters – as a parent and otherwise. Who you surround your family with is ultimately one of the major influences in your children’s lives.

Laughter is the best remedy.

Having someone to laugh with, and to cry with, helps. You would be hard pressed to spend time with these two ladies without having a great time and looking at life through a less serious lens. Doing life together for many, many years brings a simple, forgiving and understanding type of friendship.

The older we get, the more we walk through the tough stuff.

Sue has absolutely walked through the tough stuff with my mom, and vice versa. When my grandma passed away, Sue was there. Sue and her husband Bill have been at every major family event that I can remember. We are all bound to face tough seasons of life, especially as parents. It helps to walk through those seasons with trusted friends.

There will be a day that your kids are grown and gone.

Yes, that day will come. I can’t help but wonder how full my life will be when that day comes, and that is one of the driving factors for my husband and I. Just as we want a strong marriage when our kids are grown, we also want strong friendships. My parents are certainly in the golden years of their friendships – planning adventurous trips, making great use of vacation time, and doing life with other people. That is what the journey is all about.

Plain and simple. Having someone to laugh with, and to cry with, helps.

As I look back on the years, it is so easy to see how my parents could have let that friendship slip away. Eight kids and many more grandkids between all of them, busy schedules, the stress of work, a move for my parents that now separates the friends by states…so many reasons to prevent a strong friendship. I’m so grateful for the investments they made and the role models that they all still are for us.