Moms Need Friends. Fact. As first-time moms, mom friends make us feel less isolated and realize that we are not the only ones exhausted, emotional and scatterbrained. They reply to our messages at 3am during those sleepless nights, they give us the next best piece of advice, they don’t judge us, our out-of-whack hormones and mom buns, they understand…they keep us sane! Having a mom friend can make all the difference.
However, making mom friends is not as easy as making friends at high school. Motherhood is a 24/7 job, finding moms with similar parenting philosophy and interests is not always easy, kids may not get along, family schedules may not align and there is no secret club where all the nice moms meet.
We moved to Miami 2 years ago when our kids were respectively 2 years and 8 months old. With no family or friends around, I really needed a mom friend, but I seemed to be useless at making them. I went to tot lots, kids’ sport practices, story times…but moms there all seemed to be friends with each other already. Moms Groups on Facebook are an alternative platform to connect with fellow parents but for those - like myself – who don’t want mom friends that live in their computer only, parenting itself presents with many opportunities for us to make new mom friends, in real life.
It took me time, effort and practice but eventually I found my Mom Friend too! She lives on my same street and our kids go to school together, but the first time we really talked was one day at the park when our kids started playing together.
Approaching other moms may feel awkward and make you feel vulnerable though. Here are 6 easy ways to make (and keep) mom friends:
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 | 2. Make the first move – Don’t be shy. Other moms want to make mom friends too. If you see a mom that you like and that seems to be friendly, talk to her. Make a nice comment about her child, ask her child's name and age, and which neighborhood they live in, inquire about an area you have in common, in a personal and sincere way. | |
| 3. Exchange contact information – If the first move went well, don’t leave it up to fate. Ask her for her phone number, email address or how you can find her on Facebook. Otherwise give the mom your contact information. To make it even easier for you, we created these super cute printable playdate cards. Click here to download and print them….have them with you any time you go out with your kids! |  | |
 | 4. Plan a playdate – Once you have the other mom’s contact info, plan a playdate at a neutral location, i.e. a playground. Let the kids play while you get to know the other mom with some casual conversation. | |
| 5. Follow up – if you and your child enjoyed the first playdate, plan for the next one. Don’t get upset and don’t take it personally if the other mom is not as proactive as you are - we are all different – keep inviting her to do things, as long as she accepts your invites and you have a good time. Once you feel ready, ask the other mom to have a moms night out with a movie, a wine tasting session, a dinner, etc. |  | |
 | 6. Move on – Just like dating, friendship is chemistry – sometimes you and the other mom don’t click. It is not the end of the world. |
Making mom friends is all about trial and error – if you don't try, you won't figure out how to successfully create good "momlationships".
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