Friends

I am so lucky to have the friends I do – I have the overachievers, I have the glass half full and also the glass half empty friends, I have the crazy ones and the mild ones, the bohemian ones and the meticulous ones, but what we all have in common is that we are hardworking, determined and strong-minded – A great example for my daughter – and best of all, we all accept each other’s flaws and learn from one another, which is why we all get along and why I think they are so amazing.

Being a working mom, it is hard to find the time to spend with friends since I try to spend as much time as I can with my daughter, so whenever I can do an activity that involves my daughter and my friends, I think it’s a fantastic plan! As such, when I plan outings with my daughter, I try to incorporate my friends, and they do the same. That way, Emma gets to spend time with other kids while I get to catch up. Fortunately, a lot of my friends have kids or nieces or nephews, or they love kids – which helps, because they assist when you need it and are not impatient or frustrated when Emma has one of her tantrums. In fact, they are less embarrassed than me.

I make an effort to take Emma out for new experiences often, and this serves as the perfect opportunity to bring friends along. This past Sunday I took Emma to the New York Hall of Science. My friend came along with her 2 kids – no husbands allowed. Emma played with different sand textures and made a happy face with lights and batteries.

She loved attaching the lights to the battery and seeing how they lit up, but what she loved the most was playing with all the different colored mini light bulbs (I don’t know the proper name, so that’s what I called them). She was constantly imitating whatever my friends’ daughter was doing – who is much older. But that is what Emma is into now, imitating whatever other kids are doing – good and bad… She had a great time and of course, cried once we got home, but knocked out right away (Thank God!) and best of all, I was able to nap along with her.

It is outings like these I love – seeing friends I don’t often get to see because of our busy schedules and my daughter having a blast.  It feels really good that Emma can share time and grow up with not only cousins, but my friends’ kids as well. Who knows? Maybe they will all continue to be friends throughout the years. For those friends of mine who don’t have kids yet, I hope Emma will set a good example for them and be their big sister and as we joke, may be their babysitter by then.

These are the top 5 reasons why you should plan an outing with your kid(s) and your friends:

1. They understand you and are not judgmental about your parenting skills and/or your toddler’s behavior – although may have some “constructive criticism”

2. They offer to help, and yes, you will take advantage

3. If going out with other kids, they will entertain each other. If not, your kid(s) will serve as entertainment.

4. You can trade parenting tips and be honest about the trial and errors of mommyhood.

5. You can multitask – spend time with your kid(s) and catch up with friends.

Although frankly, it is also essential to spend time with friends without any kids around, so you can stop being mom for a tiny bit and truly unload….