You know those days when parenting doesn’t work?
When you wake up in the morning and instantly stand on a piece of F*CKING LEGO that has been perfectly placed on the floor at your side of the bed.
And so the day begins. You think you’ll rise above the painful beginning and carry on to bake perfect cookies, hear from your kids on the hour, every hour, how much they love you while you gently buff the last remaining smudge of dirt from the glass at your front door.
But you are wrong. Nothing works – not putting milk into cereal bowls nor getting anyone dressed and the heavens open literally the second you are convincing everyone to get their coats and boots on to go out for a walk.
So then you shout, at the floor, yourself, the dog and the kids. They are devastated and so you sit on the bottom step and have a good cry while apologising to everyone and hugging them like a crazy person.
These are the days when you REALLY need your super pals on side.
1. They Won’t Judge Your Bad Days
Every mum needs a pal who she can tell about the shouting and who not only won’t judge her, but who also can readily admit to having been there too. ‘Forgive yourself and move on’, she’ll advise, and you’ll promise that you will.
2. They Recognise Your Frustrated Tears
There are very few people who you can cry in front of about the frustrations of motherhood. Sure, you may accidentally cry in the supermarket because someone gave you their trolley for free, but I mean REALLY cry. On the days when you feel like you’re making a balls of everything and just need to let it all out, your pal will be there, nodding along sympathetically.
3. They Love Your Kids
Really good pals love your kids almost as much as you do. They love to see them and know what’s going in their lives. Their love for your babbas just shows how much they really love you too.
4. They Know When It’s Party Time
Your pal knows when it’s time to make a plan for you to let your hair down. They are tuned in to your stress levels and go out of their way to orchestrate some fun when you need it. Coffees, boozy lunches, trips to the cinema – your pal will make sure she gets you out the door.
5. They Totally Understand
Every mum needs a pal who won’t be pissy if she hasn’t seen you for a while. She knows that you’re up to your eyes and that if you don’t get to reply to a text or answer a phonecall, that it isn’t personal. She is happy to hang on until you have a bit of space to get in touch.
6. They Don’t See The Dirty Floors
Do you get in a panic about certain visitors calling over, that the house has to be ‘perfect’ in order for them to walk through the front door? They’re probably not the Best Pal we’re talking about here – your best pal sees your laundry pile and thinks, ‘F*ck, I hope the weather clears up so she can get that sh*t dry’.
7. They Save You Thousands On Psychiatrist Fees
A good heart-to-heart with a really good friend is worth as much to your mental health as a trip to a professional counsellor. They can talk you down from breaking up with your other half for forgetting to put a coat on the kids going to school that day, or from telling your brother that he is disowned for not taking the dog overnight – being a parent is a tired, emotional time and an external voice of reason is a necessary commodity!
8. They Would Drop Everything For You
If you are lucky enough to have really great friends through parenthood, you probably have one or two people in your life who would drop absolutely everything for you if you needed them to. They would get into their car in the middle of the night and drive to your house if asked and wouldn’t think twice about it.
Those are the kinds of super pals that every mum needs to hang on to.
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