Being the "Mom of the group" is given a bad rap. People think that we are uncool and not fun to be around. In fact, I have found it to be the exact opposite!
I am the mom of my friend group and I am proud of it.
Whenever I know one of my friends is going out, regardless of whether or not they are drinking, I am always there to make sure that they get home safely. If I tell you, "Text me or call me when you get home," I mean it. I will stay up all night long waiting for your text or call -- even if it is 3:47 a.m. and you left me six hours before. If it takes way longer than it should for you to let me know you are OK, I will call you. I don't care if you have just fallen asleep (well, I do care, but I care more about the fact that you are home and that you made it there safely). I have and I will wake you up if that means that I know you are OK.
I am fully aware of how annoying that makes me sound. I will be a pain in your butt if it means you are safe.
On to the next part of the bad rap we get: We are not fun to be around. This is completely wrong. You don't need to drink to have fun -- so I don't. I could drink; I have been offered, but I choose not to. I go out and have fun with my friends just as much as any other person -- but I am super safe about it.
I am the mom of my friend group because of the way that my parents raised me. They taught me to be responsible and to look out for others. They always told me that you don't have to drink to have fun, but always told me that if I did to be careful. They told me that if I was ever uncomfortable where I was, or if I was drinking and I needed a ride, to call them, and without a doubt they would be there to get me at any hour of the night. I am the same way with my friends. I have seen people in my town die because they got behind the wheel while drunk, or got in the car with someone who was drinking.
If I had a dollar for every time someone said, "Alright mom" to me, I would not have to worry about putting my future children through college.
I am OK with that. I am OK with it because I know how to react in certain situations, how to always stay safe and aware and what to do to help someone who needs it. My parents taught me what is right and wrong and how to be mature and responsible. I would rather be that than vomiting because I had one too many drinks and put my life at risk.
I have a good reputation, and I would like to keep it that way. My friends know that I am always there for them when they need me and that I always will be. I am the late-night Uber caller, the call you get at 4 a.m. to make sure you are safe, the person who holds your hair back while you vomit your brains out, the one who always has band-aids, condoms and cough drops. I am happy to be that person, and I don't care what negative connotations are associated with being the "mom of the friend group," because I am perfectly happy with how I am.
