“Does that happen to you a lot?” my sister asks after a fellow mom standing in line for the zoo struck up a conversation about the unorganized entrance we were both struggling to navigate with our strollers. This is a regular occurrence: fellow moms talking to me about something despite being complete strangers.
My sister had just recognized what I like to call “The Moms Club”.
The Moms Club is not a group of ladies that get together for playgroups or send texts checking in. The Moms Club is not some elite club that only accepts certain people from certain walks of life. Trust me, I have seen every single “type” of mom claim her spot in this club. The Moms Club is a group that every mom around the world is part of. It doesn’t matter where you are, what language you speak, or your culture – if you are a mom, you are in the club.
Your membership starts as soon as you get pregnant. Moms that you interact with regularly (or not!) are there in solidarity willing to help or strike up a conversation with you in lines at the grocery store. You are now accepted because you are going through the rebirth that is motherhood.
I noticed this club immediately upon announcing my first pregnancy. I don’t have many close friends; it has always been a struggle of mine. But becoming a mom seemed to open up a whole new world. Women that I had felt a large disconnect with were now approaching me. I was one of them, this group that knows the struggles of pregnancy and motherhood. We are all connected by the hard work and tears that mark us as mothers.
As my kids grew into rambunctious toddlers that bark in the grocery store, fellow mothers would approach and offer solidarity in raising toddlers. It didn’t matter where I was, if there was a mom there, we could find something to talk about. Even women that you don’t really connect with in any other way, you can connect with on our mutual journey. Language isn’t a barrier, I have seen it while traveling with my kids as another mother with kids hanging off of her makes eye contact with me and we share a tired smile.
We see each other and we know we are not alone.
At my kids’ activities, the moms that I end up standing near as we watch our kids do their thing always seem to strike up a conversation about the struggles of getting kids out the door. I have made quite a few friends through simple conversations like this, thanks to The Moms Club.
