craving family

I value my friendships. All of them. But it is truly wonderful to spend the weekend with those that completely understand ALL of my life. As a young parent, I am the first among most of my social circles to have children. Generally, at least now (five years after becoming a mom) it's not a big deal. Most of my friends understand or have accepted that my daughter comes first. But there is a certain comfort that comes in being able to have a conversation over the span of four hours due to breaking to pay REAL attention to our children. Being around people who you are comfortable enough with to parent together. Someone to tell my daughter to remember that other kids need turns too, someone who doesn't mind when I step in to remind them to use gentle hands. Another family that feels like home. I think that all children need circles like this that exist outside of the immediate family. A support network to fall back on when guiding hands or hugs are needed away from parents. I think it is equally important for parents to have fellow parents and adults like this in their life to support the path they have chosen, reaffirm that they are awesome parents with awesome kids and everything they do for their children is worth it, and also, ever changing, growing, passing. To provide perspective.

I crave this. As I said above, my friends are wonderful, all of them, and I love them dearly. But to sit in a living room with old friends and watch our children grow up together would be divine. Something closer than a two hour drive.

There could be more coherent words to put here, but they aren't coming yet...