Love, Support, and Advice: Keeping Friendships Alive Via Text Message

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woman texting on her phone Providence Moms BlogWhen I was in college, I lived at home and commuted back and forth to class.  I didn’t have the “traditional” college experience.  I kept mainly to myself, and most semesters  I planned all of my classes in a row so I could get on and off campus quickly. 

Despite this, I managed to make some really tried and true friends.  I somehow landed me into a group of gals who all lived together.  They jokingly “adopted” me as an honorary resident of their townhouse.  My senior year I even began hanging out on campus with them.

Graduation came and went.  The five of us initially did a great job keeping at in touch.  But time marched on.  We started getting married (and taking turns being in each other’s weddings).  New jobs and moves across Southern New England came, followed by the babies.

I was the first and only mom for a few years.  Later, another friend joined the “mom club,” and I followed her four months later with baby #2.  A few years later, our group multiplied with a sudden burst of four more babies in just over eight months.  

We were there for each other through bridal showers, and weddings, and now baby showers.  Social media allowed us to keep up with the goings-on in each other’s lives.  We’d see each other at an occasional gathering.  While we have never lost touch, all of these life changes made physically seeing each other more difficult, especially when the need for babysitters arose.  

But then it happened.

About two years ago, one of these friends started a group text.  I think she texted to check in with one friend who was precariously close to her due date.  Nearly two years later, this group text message lives on.  We rarely go a day without “speaking” with each other.  Sometimes we might simply check in on each other’s plans for the weekend.  Other times we feverishly text for two hours straight at night about anything and everything.  

This text thread is tfriends at wedding Providence Moms Bloghe ultimate mom support group, especially since we are all at different points in our motherhood journeys.  We’ve coached each other through sick kids, sleeping woes, picky eaters, mysterious rashes, balancing work and home life, school transitions, breastfeeding dilemmas, birthday party planning, and much, much more. 

We certainly don’t limit ourselves to chatting about the kids though.  I read a meme recently that said: “Behind every successful woman is a group text hyping her up.”  Our topics of conversation range from sharing funny memes to offering support on a tough day to giving a virtual high five for an accomplishment.   There are countless times I’ve turned to them to ask them a question (“What do you think I women with children Providence Moms Blogshould give for a teacher gift?”) or to simply share something randomly exciting (“I just got the best deal on Amazon Prime Day!”)

As corny as it may sound, our texts close the gap of physical togetherness.  While may not be able to meet up for lunch like the “old days,” we always have our ongoing conversation.  At its core, texting is the technology binds us together and enables us to stay connected.  Ironically, that technology that didn’t even exist when we graduated more than 15 years ago (wait…did I just admit that out loud?)!!!  Despite each of us being pulled in different directions by life’s inertia, we always know that we have our text thread.  There we can find the support, love, advice, and humor we may need at that very moment.  And because of that, we know we are never too busy or too far away from each other.

 

 

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Robin Barton
Robin is a working mother of two very precious, but very precocious sons ages 10 and 6. A lifelong Rhode Islander, she lives in the Providence area with her husband of 14+ years and boys. She is a Bryant University graduate (back in the day when it used to be called Bryant College) where she also received an MBA. In between refereeing her boys' impromptu wrestling matches, carting them between school and practice and handling occasional work issues outside business hours, Robin enjoys cooking/baking (but not the mess they create), 80s music, checking out family friendly events/destinations (pre-COVID that is), visiting new breweries and wineries with her hubby, buying new makeup and taking WAY too many photos (YOLO). She also considers herself an aficionado of naps. Robin believes that it is possible to find both motherhood and a career simultaneously rewarding, with the right support system....and an Amazon Prime account.