“Mom Tribe,” “Squad,” whatever term you want to use, go get one. Get one now! It is a VITAL part of surviving parenthood. 

Over the past three years since becoming a mom, I have been so fortunate to amass an amazing group of mamas in my tribe. But it wasn’t easy and it didn’t happen overnight.

“Mom dating” apps are all the rage right now, but how can you make that true connection – not just between you and the other mom –but also between your kids? And honestly, who has the time? Ugh.

If you’ve been reading my blog, you have probably determined that I am a planner. Naturally, finding my mom tribe began when baby was in utero. While I had a wonderful group of friends pre-kid, none of them were parents at the time. I knew I would need to find some other new moms for the journey. So I decided to go to a prenatal yoga class with the sole purpose of making new friends. I was THAT obnoxious person who, at the end of class, suggested we all make a date to get together. And guess what? Pretty much everyone in the group was onboard.

We started doing weekly get-togethers and, over the past three years, have become lifelong friends. We call ourselves the Santa Barbara Yoga Mamas and our kids have known each other literally since the day they were each born. Words can’t describe how much I value these friendships. Not just for me, but for my daughter. These are her first playmates and it has been such a gift to watch them all grow up together. The really cool part is that each one of these women is amazing in her own right. While I may not have met any of them if not for that prenatal yoga class, and, while we are all very different, these are friends I would choose no matter what.

We still get together regularly both with kids and without. Our husbands have become friends. Our kids adore each other. We have celebrated each milestone and been there for each other through the tough times. It is an eclectic group. Some of us work and some stay home. Some are out there running marathons, some are traveling the world and some of us are sitting in coffee shops writing about it (hint – that last one is ME).

We have gone through so much together and there is no other group of amazing women I would have wanted along on this journey. Thank you, mamas!

How have you found YOUR mom tribe? I’d love to hear all about it!

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Carey Bradshaw, Author (& Nursing Aficionado)