I remember pulling into the Coral Ridge Mall parking lot early. Like an hour early. I didn’t want to be *gasp* late, and I wanted to give my 11-month-old son time to snooze in the back so that he would behave. I seriously sat there in the car nervously wondering how this whole set up would go.
Would we have enough to talk about? Would our boys like each other? Is this going to be super awkward?
A mutual friend arranged this whole “Mama Blind Date” and I will FOREVER be grateful for her, because she single handedly introduced me to one of my very best friends. It started with a Facebook chat. She told us about how similar to each other we are, how we were both newly SAHMs, and how we both had sons who were only two months apart.
I was a year in on my SAHM gig, and as I am sure some of you other stay-at-home mamas know, even though you spend your days with another human being (a constantly-follow-you-to-the-bathroom human being), there is an aspect to it that feels lonely. I was missing adult interaction.
On the hard days I wondered if anyone else was having the same struggles as me, and on the good days I wondered if anyone else was celebrating the little wins, too.
Brenda, my “Mama Blind Date” date, quickly became that person for me. We had our first “date” five years ago this month, and since that initial meeting we have been there for each other through the ups and downs. Through the pukes, the tantrums, the tears, the mom guilt, all of it. I cannot imagine my life without her, and we have each other all because one of our friends had the courage to reach out and straight up tell us we should hang out.
Something else amazing happened because of it, too. It wasn’t just a “Mama Blind Date,” but it also turned out to be a blind date for our boys. They do not remember life without each other, and we’ve watched their friendship blossom and grow, too! This last fall they both started kindergarten at the same school, they play with each other at recess, and some days they even get to sit by each other at lunch. Sending my baby boy to school was emotional and scary, but I found comfort in the fact that he already had a built-in buddy. A familiar face.
All because one of our friends had the courage to reach out and connect their mamas.
So as 2018 came to a close and I sat down and thought about how I can be the best version of myself in the New Year, I kept thinking about Brenda and our friendship. How she is one of my “people” and how grateful I am for our friend who set us up. I vow to return the favor this year and find two of my friends to set up on their own blind date. This mama gig ain’t for the faint of heart and it can feel lonely at times, but if we all do our part to connect with each other and connect our own mama tribe with other mama tribes, really everybody wins.
So my challenge for you, should you choose to accept it, is set some friends up on a “Mama Blind Date” this year!
You may just change their world.
