I saw this meme on Facebook a few days ago. I noticed several of my mom friends had posted this or similar memes. It made me stop and think.
Most of my friends who do not have children understand there are times I cannot go to an event. Lately, I’ve noticed I have had to decline a lot of invites, and it has made me feel like a “flakey” friend. It’s even worse when I try to initiate plans and then have to cancel them.
Although I’m an introvert and prefer to stay home, it is still lovely to be invited to events. I know there are a lot of moms (and dads) who probably feel the same. Just because we are parents, does not mean we don’t want to go anywhere. We want to be invited. We want to feel included. We want to be remembered. We are not just parents.
A friend of mine wrote “Don’t forget about me just because I’m a mom now. I haven’t lost my identity.” Those words resonated with me. Now more than ever. A big part of my life revolves around my family. After all, I am a mother and a wife. My family will always come first, but I have been making it a point to take care of myself. One way I plan to practice self-care is to actually spend time with my friends. When I practice self-care, I tend to have me-time. I’ll go to the movies, the mall, etc. by myself. It’s glorious. However, I’m going to actually make it a point to invite a friend or two out when I decide to go somewhere by myself.
I may be a wife and a mother, but I still have my identity. I still love a lot of the things I loved before I became a mom and a wife. To my friends, I still love exploring new places. So don’t be afraid to invite me to explore the city. I love music. I’d like to go to a music festival. You want to watch Toy Story 4 or The Lion King…without kids? Let’s try to go! And then let’s go again with the kids.
I may not be able to go to every event or go out to our usual spots, but please invite me. Friends, please invite your mom (and dad) friends out. Don’t forget about us. I promise we would love to attend.
