If you follow us over in Instagram, you know that this week our theme is friendship! Yes the titles says how to be a good friend. You in fact did read that correctly. I thought it was important for us to touch on this beautiful subject because while being a good friend can seem self explanatory, unfortunately, it is becoming a dying work of art in motherhood. Then throw a working mom in the mix and POOF, what friendships?
Friendships are a females fuel along with a good pumpkin spice latte. But unlike our lattes, our friends are our village and our village is what keeps us going. I want us to reflect and really consider what kind of friends we are. In the hustle and bustle of working motherhood, between drop offs, pick ups, groceries, and clocking in, it can be seriously hard to remember to simply text someone back. It is important for us to remember the shift in times where the ease of maintaining friendships existed. Now, it’s a concerted effort. Friendship is more than just bottomless mimosa brunches and girlfriend getaways as mentioned in one of our posts. I would hope for all of our sakes it’s deeper. It‘s learning to dig deeper when a friend is going through a rough time. Maybe you’re “im sorry” is going to have to go the extra mile to truly be supportive. The “I’m here for you“ is going to need some fire. If you’re at a loss on how to help a mama friend out, this list below can help with some ideas.
1. Reply to a text. Yea sounds easy but raise your hand if you’ve forgotten a few times.... yea me too. A simple response intentionally engaging in a conversation can do wonders or even just letting them know you got it, but you’ll have to chat later or SOMETHING.
2. Show up. This can mean something different for every friend. For example, I had a friend looking for homes for her first property purchase. I went with her. I made time because it was important to her and I wanted to show my support because I love her. Offer baby sitting swaps. Plan a mama coffee date and put your phones down for an hour. Need more ideas? I’ll be writing a post on ways to help a sista out next week! So I’ll link to this valuable resource soon!
3. Support her business. Almost EVERY full time working mom I know has a business in some capacity. It’s a thing right now because I think we all want autonomy. If a mama you know has a business, be it direct sales, network marketing, Etsy boutique, whatever SUPPORT HER. You are her network. It doesn’t hurt to purchase something from her here and there. Not in the budget? Share the content on your social media for her. This goes far ladies, seriously.
4. Call just because. If you find yourself driving and it’s going to be a while, give a mama friend a buzz and see how she’s doing. Quick random check ins are life giving.
5. Share thoughtful resources or content. I’m all about sharing podcasts or articles that I find valuable. I can’t stress enough how many times I’ve sent podcast episodes, Bible verses, or articles and the response is “omg i needed that”. It helps.
Friendships are not a dime a dozen. Love on your old ones, make some new ones, and be there for all of them because one day, if not today, you’ll need a village-the girl gang you can lean on and giving back, investing in people, you will feel like you‘re making a difference. At the end of the day, isn’t that what we all want? Isn't that what makes us fantastic mothers? To make a lasting difference.
Send this to a friend and watch your circle grow!
Xx, Gi