Photo Serves As Reminder of How Quickly Time Flies

This weekend I had the chance to spend an evening with two of my closest friends from high school. Inevitably, the talk turned to “the good old days” and out came a picture of the three of us together at, imagine this, our junior prom.

The year was 1983 and we had no idea that twenty nine years later we would still be together. Looking at that photo truly reminded me how fast the years have flown by.   

I look at the three of us with our outdated hair styles, pink taffeta dresses and prom bouquets in hand and I see children. Yes, we were 16 years old at the time but, frankly, we sure didn’t look it. That being said it’s hard to imagine that, at the very same time, I feel as if that prom was yesterday. I can’t even begin to wrap my mind around the fact that it was, indeed, all those years ago. 

Today, all three of us are moms. Between us we have five children ranging in age from preschool to adulthood. Each of us is at a different stage of motherhood and each of us has a different set of experiences to share. What we do have in common, however, is that all these years later, we still value our friendship, trust one another wholeheartedly and enjoy each other’s company.

We have learned to respect each others opinions and value the advice we are each willing to share. What could possibly be better than that?

I once had a conversation with a mom who, like me, still lives in her hometown.  She told me, “Familiarity breeds comfort.” At the time I wasn’t quite sure what she meant but, today, as I look back at my relationship with my friends I understand exactly what she was trying to tell me. Lifelong friends truly are the next best thing to family and some of the most important people you will ever introduce your children to.

The best advice I could ever give a new mom is to never be too busy for a little time with friends. It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the day to day hustle and bustle of family life and leave everyone behind but, without a doubt, that is a mistake you will someday regret. 

Nothing truly compares to having a network of other moms who understand your concerns, sympathize with your problems and simply “get” where you are coming from. Knowing that you have known those moms most of your life only adds to the benefits.

Does that mean that every time I see my friends we talk about motherhood?  Absolutely not. Part of being a mom is knowing that, sometimes, it’s safe to step out of that role and simply enjoy a little girl talk. Sometimes, it’s even ok to look at old prom pictures and laugh at our frilly pink taffeta dresses.

I once read an article that said one of things that ages us the most is not having friends. Frankly I could not agree more. I know in my heart that I am no longer the young girl in my prom picture but when I spend time with my friends its hard to remember that more than a few years have passed.