You've got a friend in me...

Amy Croker, MAT, Elem. Education

Do you ever wonder why it seems to be so easy for kids to make friends and then as moms, we tend to have a wall up?

Kids are living in the moment, where we as parents are so preoccupied with your to-do lists or what errands we need to run, that we forget about stopping, and taking the time to connect with other moms.

Maybe I am talking too much about myself here or maybe there are some of you moms out there that can relate?

I run into so many moms outside of my daughters' day school, either at the grocery store, the Y, the park or even at a favorite local restaurant. We have a nice conversation, talk about our kids, our day or weekend and then off we go!

As moms especially, we are rush, rush, rush, going from point A to B or are too busy to really get to know the another person.

Instead, we prejudge them, compare ourselves to them without really getting to know them or just assume that you don't really have much in common with them.

After living in Nashville for almost 6 years now, I finally feel like I can call it "home," but it has taken me that long!

For a while, I was not happy with my husband moving me to a town where everybody already had their circle of friends they went to school with at UT or went to church with back in the day. It was like moving back to middle school or high school where "clicks" and "mean girls" were invented.

Now, before you judge me or get mad at me, I am not trying to talk bad about Nashville and the people that live in Nashville. It was just the phase I was in when I moved here. At the time, moving to a new city and being pregnant was not easy for me, but i did survive and made it through all because of a lot of you sweet southern ladies that I have grown to adore. You know who you are! I truly could not have made it through all the ups and downs without you!

Friends, old and new, have been such a blessing to me in more ways than I can even count. Friends allow you to vent, destress, have playdates with, do adult dinner night out with or even a short weekend getaway. What would we do without our friends!

We need them in good times and bad. So along with trying to find yourself again or trying to not lose yourself in parenthood (http://ahandsonmom.blogspot.com/2012/09/you-know-you-have-lost-yourself-when.html), make sure you cherish your friendships. Don't just assume something about a person before you get to know them. Hey! They might be a new kid (or mommy) on the block and would love to have someone to pal around with.

Just look at your child's face when they see a friend they know at the park or when they walk into their classroom and see their best bud. They light up and all of sudden that meltdown in the car or before you left the house is gone, or their butterflies on the first day of school disappear, all because of the friends they have and then the friends they will soon get to make.

So be role model for your child. Encourage playdates with kids their age, meet their moms for coffee or at the park, and try to let your guard down. Live in the moment!