Best Mom Tip #43: Girls' Night Out

I can't tell you how much I appreciate the monthly girls' night out I go to. There are single women, married women without kids, and other moms who go. It's not always the same people, so I meet new women sometimes. Sometimes it's just me and friends I've had for 15 years. We talk about jobs, kids, husbands, books, movies, church, and occasionally politics.

We confess our parenting mistakes--no, your kid is not going to be crazy because you broke his lego tower; yeah, you probably shouldn't get that mad at a 2 year old--and laugh at stories that don't involve our own embarrassing moments. Sometimes we pester our friend who's having twins to tell us what it feels like in there (her answer is "crowded"). We usually check up the birth horror stories if there are non-moms in attendance.

Last week I talked a lot about the Twilight books that I just read so that I could relate to the teenage girls I volunteer with a bit better. Not exactly saving the world, but funny to share and I did help one friend understand why, in the movie, they all just stare at each other a lot. One friend is probably moving to Maryland to follow her husband's dream job. One friend is trying to decide whether or not to go back to work now that the kids are a bit older. Another single woman is moving in with a friend to save money and get her finances on track in this economy.

There was probably a 10-year age range at our last gathering and we certainly were in different stages of life. But there was never a break in the conversation, no one got mad or bored, and we closed down the Starbucks AGAIN. I couldn't help but think that old "if women ran the world thing" about how there would be more talking and less fighting. I'm not sure if that is really true, but there would certainly be a lot more understanding if we all just chatted about our lives for a few hours once a month.

As always, I left inspired, encouraged, and laughing. Find some girls to go out with. It does wonders.