Simple milestones

They tell you that one of the best things to help you through the first few months/years of motherhood is a good set of friends. I couldn't agree more. It is essential to have friends who understand what you are experiencing, how you are feeling, and don't hold it against you when you crack open a beer or do a shot of tequila at the mid-morning playgroup, or pretend not to hear your child crying when she wakes up after only a 20 minute nap.

But all that camaraderie aside, you need friends with kids so that you can constantly compare yourself and your kids to someone else. Kind of like when my skinny friends go to the beach with me, it just makes you feel better sometimes. No...it isn't right, but you know we do it and you know it makes us feel better to see that someone else isn't as tall, as mobile, or as articulate as your own child. Try not to shout out loud when your child stacks blocks faster than your neighbors child, and they will try not to draw attention to the fact their kid can grasp his cheerios before yours.