In a group of friends, there is always that one girl who acts like a mom to everyone else. In my friend group, I am that mom friend. I enjoy taking care of others and looking out for them; it's something I naturally gravitate towards. If you aren't sure if this describes your role in your friend group, here are ten ways to know if you are the mom friend in a group.
1. You always have food.
In your room, you have drawers full of food ready to share with your friends. You love to open your doors and feed your hungry college friends. For some occasions, you might even stick a granola bar in your bag so that you can help out your friends when they have to skip lunch because of studying. Whether you're supplying the chocolate to help through a difficult time or passing around the fruit snacks as a "healthier" alternative, you are always the one who keeps your friends fed.
2. You have everything someone could possibly need for first aid.
Your friends may have laughed when you unpacked your first aid box on move in day, but it has already come in handy many times. Whether someone needs Neosporin and a princess band-aid or some headache medicine, you've got it all. When a card game or a pillow fight gets too intense, you will always have a stash of first aid essentials handy.
3. You are constantly called out for "mom arming" your friends.
When you are driving around and have to slam on your brakes, your instinct is to immediately throw out your arm and protect whoever is beside you. You've even been known to throw out your mom arm when someone is about to walk in front of a car or another person. Either way, you can take the jokes your friends make for putting your arm between them and immanent danger.
4. You make all of the plans.
When are we going to dinner? What are we going to do this weekend? You handle planning all the social activities for your friend group. You keep everyone updated on the group text and let them all know exactly what you've got planned for them to do. Someone's gotta do it, right?
5. You always use terms of endearment.
"Sweetie." "Sweet pea." "Honey." "Darling." You always respond to your friends with one of these names, never the name their mother gave them at birth. It's not an intentional decision; it's just what naturally comes out of your mouth. And it is just one of the many ways that you express your love for your friends.
6. You are always reminding your friends to do their schoolwork.
It may make you the party pooper some of the time, but you are always checking to make sure your friends have completed their homework before you guys have fun. You want to make sure that they are keeping up with their assignments and don't regret their procrastination later. After all, you are enrolled at college to get an education.
7. You drive all of your friends around.
After you've made the plans for your friends, you then get to drive everyone to wherever you are going. You might not have the biggest car, but you're one of the safest drivers and you're happy to have everyone pile into your car. Thanks to your friends though, you never will have the cleanest car.
8. You are the one your friends go to for advice.
You also find great joy in giving your friends advice when they need someone to talk to. You're happy to be a shoulder to cry on or to offer a joke to make them laugh. And when they've recovered enough to want to know what their next step should be, you are happy to offer some options that will help them to move on.
9. You have the earliest bed time out of any college student ever.
Let's face it: As the mom friend of the group, you are basically a 40 year old in a teen's body. You have a certain amount of sleep you need to get. Most school nights that means that you are in bed by 10:00. 8 hours of sleep is your minimum amount to function, but if you can get more that's even better.
10. You love your friends with all your heart.
Sure, some days you might be tired of always being a mom. However, at the end of the day, you love all of your friends and you want to do what's best for them. So if that entails making all the plans, carrying around granola bars in your purse, and going to bed at 10:00 to have enough energy to perform all your motherly duties, then you are happy to do it. Every moment you spend with your amazing friends is worth every small detail you've taken care of.
