In Praise Of Girlfriends
Where would we be without our girlfriends?
We go through cycles in our lives, and I think are friendships are no exception. When we first have kids, we tend to gravitate toward other new parents, and we often lose contact with our kid-less friends. But as soon as they start having kids themselves, we pick back up where we left off. Until someone moves or our kids go to school…and our social circle is reshaped again.
Cast your mind back to when your kids were toddlers and younger. How often did you talk to your friends about parenting struggles? Often? Constantly? How about now? Do you have a group of friends — or even one friend — that you can talk to about parenting stuff? Or non-parenting stuff, for that matter?
We all need a social support system. It’s one of the first things I ask about when I meet with a new client who’s going through a period of depression or transition: “Who do you have in your life that you can talk to?” These kinds of relationships are essential to our optimal mental health.
So who are the Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda to your Carrie? Maybe you don’t have a group of gals quite as tight (or as intimate) as those ladies from Sex and the City, but there’s a lesson to be learned from them: we all get by with a little help from our friends. Why not round up your girls for a fun night out? You need a break every once in a while from the rigours of daily life, and we all need a chance to change our of our sweats and into our Manolos (!).