I definitely consider myself the “mom friend” within my group of friends. As we grow up and grow into responsibilities, all of the little things our moms did for us start to fall by the wayside. However, some people simply can’t handle all of this newfound independence. This is where the “mom friend” comes in. We are the person who picks up the pieces when your maternal figure is no longer there to do it for you.
1. The mom friend always has a snack.
You would be hard pressed to find me, at any given time, without a snack on me. This is probably because I was the child who ceased to function if I got hungry and a snack was not an option. My mom quickly learned not to leave the house without food and, at a pretty young age, so did I. Today, you will always find me with a granola bar in my purse (at the very least). After years of encouraging, my long-time friends have even picked up the habit, which is quite the proud “mom” moment for me.
2. The mom friend is prepared for anything.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation, any situation, and thought, “man, I wish I had lotion/hand sanitizer/ChapStick/water/Advil/etc”? Well I haven’t. That’s because I already have them. The granola bar that lives in my purse is joined by several different ChapStick options, a bottle of Advil, at least one hand sanitizer, and probably a pen or two. Whatever you need, I probably have it on me. When I travel, I always have medication, gum, and probably more hand sanitizer. I am always prepared to let my friends borrow any of these items the moment I hear someone complain about a headache, chapped lips, or dirty hands.
3. The mom friend is the worrier.
As your mom friend, I worry about anything and everything. In any given situation, I have imagined and completely over analyzed anything that could possibly go wrong. Is this a dangerous situation? What if we get lost? Are we going to get kidnapped? What if it costs too much money? What if we get caught? Will there be food? When will we eat? You get the idea. In reality these worst-case scenarios rarely ever come to fruition, but if they do you can bet I’ve already thought about what would happen.
4. The mom friend should expect to be laughed at.
As the mom friend, you’re constantly made fun of for these mom-like tendencies. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times my friends have laughed at me for these habits. That time I brought an entire peanut butter sandwich to a football game? Yes, there was endless teasing – but when it came down to it, who was starving halfway through the game? Not me. You can call me mom-like, old, a worrier – and maybe these are all true – but I prefer to call it prepared.
When it comes down to it, being the mom friend is all about planning ahead and worrying more than you probably need to. Your friends will tease you for your mom-like habits, but they also love you for them. After all, you have the snacks!
Featured Image via Friends screengrab
