You can try to deny the fact that there are stereotypes in all friend groups, but you’d be wrong. Everyone has a role to play…and my role is being the mother of my friend group. Being the mom comes with great power and great responsibility. It's not all fun and games, but it is worth it.
Here are 16 realities that come with the title of Mother Hen:
1. You always have snacks.
And a variety too…I’m not talking just one granola bar. I have a plethora to choose from. You want some fruit snacks? Maybe some pretzels? What brand? I probably have it.
2. You always have first aid kits.
In college, something as simple as a band-aid can be hard to find, but everyone knows who to come to when in need. Surprise: it’s you.
3. You frequently find yourself receiving A LOT of drunk texts/calls/Snapchats.
“I loghve youuhnm, tsake me to taco bell?”
4. You take said drunk friends to get food.
Reply: Only if you buy me a taco.
5. You tuck sad drunk friends into bed and ply them with water bottle after water bottle.
They’ll thank you in the morning…right?
6. You’re always giving advice.
“No, I really don’t think it’s a good idea for you to text your ex…no, actually, I’m 100 percent sure it’s not.”
7. You keep track of all your friends and make sure everyone is where they need to be.
“What are you doing in your room? You have class in three minutes!!”
8. You’re always there to listen.
Whether it be at 2 p.m. or 2 a.m., you’re always there…and you’re always ready to listen.
9. You are a literal alarm clock.
I would be lying if I said people hadn’t come to me to make sure they’re up the next morning. I would also be lying if I said that I hadn't burst into their room the next morning to make sure they were awake.
10. You’re the go-to person in a SOS situation, be it life or death or simply attempting to avoid a boy.
My friends and I have developed a language with a varying severity for differing SOS situations, as well as a code word for when we want to escape a boy. We're pretty evolved.
11. You’re always baking various goodies.
Within two weeks of being at school, I had already been labeled as “that girl who is always baking cookies,” which I am more than okay with. Stress baking is a real thing, but so is stress eating. You're welcome, friends.
12. You’re the shoulder to cry on.
College is tough. There are so many factors that could go wrong – problems with friends, problems with a significant other, homesickness, etc. Someone is always bound to be upset. In the role of mom, it's your job to be there for both the ups and the downs.
13. You give a lot of fashion advice.
“No, last time I checked black and navy still don’t go together...”
*five outfits later*
“Yeah, actually we're running late now. Wear the black and navy.”
14. You’re always checking up on people.
“How are you? How’d your test go? Do you need any help studying?”
Part of your job is to worry, after all.
15. You bring people together.
As an attentive and caring friend, you probably have a lot of different friends in a lot of different groups. It's inevitable that you're going to bring them all together sometime, whether it be at a birthday party or a movie night in your room.
Sadly, things do not always go well. Sometimes it ends up a little more like this:
And you're in the middle like...
16. But… most of all, you’re there whenever your friends need you.
No matter how much work it is, you love being the mom of your friend group and you wouldn’t change it for the world.
So here’s to you, Friendship Moms. Keep calm and take care of your friends.
