I consider myself very lucky to have a large group of friends, from all stages of my life. My friends have been there for me throughout the highs and lows of my life to date. Upon starting school, college and university, throughout singledom, whilst dating, and during make ups and break ups. Supporting house moves, country moves, births and deaths, and at times, I quite simply couldn’t have coped without them.

As a new mum, your friends can become even MORE important, helping you cope with tiredness, keeping you sane, offering light relief or simply holding the baby for 10 minutes whilst you have a shower!

Based on my experience, here are the five kind of friends that every mum needs! 🙂

The Dab Hand Mum

The mum who has experienced everything you have already – she may be on her second or third child, and chances are, she can relate to, and appreciate every challenge you are going through. This needs to be a special kind of Mum though – she must not be judgy or condescending, and shalt not preach about her own perfect parenting skills, but offers advice and support, sharing suggestions on what did and didn’t work for her. She will also share her frequent comedy parenting fails, helping you feel just that little bit better, and appreciate that you aren’t alone!! She keeps it real, and hasn’t lost her pre mum self, meaning you can talk about pretty much anything and everything and can completely bear your soul.

The No Kids Friend

At times, there is nothing better than to go out for tea or a few drinks with someone who doesn’t yet have kids, and ideally someone who would rather talk about anything but! 🙂 As fun as raising children can be, there is only so much nappy, milk and milestones talk that I can handle, and at times, I would rather go out and have a random debate about who should be baker of the week in Great British Bake Off, whether Tom Hiddleston would make a good James Bond, and why the hell Orlando Bloom felt the need to get his todger out on a paddleboat (or more importantly why Katy Perry looked so dismissive – something up there I tell you). Joking aside though, these friends are valuable assets, and should be met with regularly to maintain a good parent to independent woman ratio! 🙂

The Friend Across the Globe

Having international friends can be fantastic. As a mum, being away from those really close to you can be hard, but there is one definite added bonus – different time zones!! 🙂 One of my closest friends, who I have been friends with for over 20 years, now lives in Perth – and therefore when I am up in the night feeding or with a wide awake toddler, I know that she is only a quick WhatsApp away, where all of my other friends are likely to be safely tucked up in their bed getting some Z’s.  My other close friend lives in Milan. True friendships really do span the globe, in that despite only physically seeing each other every year or so, we are closer than ever, and will always be there for each other through thick and thin. Only downside is that they haven’t mastered a way to do international hugs yet (I won’t hold my breath for the Apple announcement)

The Friend with the Children of the same Age

This is always great to have – a friend who you love spending time with and can enjoy their company, but who’s children will play with yours and share similar milestones. Whether it be a fellow oompa loompa in those latter stages of pregnancy, who understands what its like to have swollen ankles and heartburn, or the new mum battling sleep deprivation with their hungry 6 week old, or even the mum who pretends not to want to throttle their threenager when they start throwing a diva tantrum (https://realmumreview.comthe-rise-of-the-threenager/) it is always great to have someone who can relate to your life – right now. Having children close in age can also help with creating more great friendships, and you can be safe in the knowledge that when you get invited to those children’s parties, that you actually want to attend!

The Virtual Friend

As a blogger, I am lucky enough to also be able to include a fifth kind  of friend, someone that I may actually never have met, but whom I class as a real support and sounding board in my life. Virtual friends are great because you can truly be yourself, warts and all, and unlike physical friends, you don’t need to be tempted to paint a pretty picture. You can admit when you’re not coping, vent all your frustrations, and be 100% honest about your life. I know that social media can sometimes create an illusion of the perfect life, but with a virtual friend, there is really no need – if anything, being yourself is much much easier, and it is much more likely that others can relate!! 🙂

So to all my friends, you know who you are, thank you for being in my life!! 🙂 I am proud to know each and every one of you!!!

This post is part of the #30bbdaysofgratitde project – taking time out of our busy lives to be thankful for all that we have! Today’s theme is My Friends. Come back tomorrow for a new theme and a new post! 🙂