Join the conversation and share your personal stories about a Wing Woman in your life on Twitter @mywingwoman. Get the low down from one of my favorite Wing Women at www.mywingwoman.com. I received compensation for this blog post from Teva Women’s Health.
Life as a parent means that friendships change. Social lives change. My idea of a wild Saturday night has changed. Life is a bit simpler and yet more complex. A Friday or Saturday spent in the backyard is our new version of a perfect day. And reading a book on the porch during nap time feels like a vacation. Neighbors who are friends become a big portion of your social life out of ease, convenience and similarities. For us, contentment has come from this life.
One beautiful day two years ago, a lovely woman and her young daughter visited our next door neighbors. They were sitting on the deck having a serious conversation that, at the time, I had no idea about. We were playing in our back yard with Bodhi. I had an instant connection with her and hoped she’d visit again soon.
The woman’s daughter joined us in our yard and played while the adults sat on the deck talking.
Less than three months later, this woman, her daughter and husband moved into the house right next to ours. I was thrilled to welcome them and grateful that they had children (both of our second children were born that summer) the same ages as both of ours. But I had NO idea quite how huge this was.
In a matter of months, our next door neighbor became one of my dearest friends, a trusted confidant and my partner in parenting in so many ways! We constantly talk about how we are mothering together. We are raising kind, compassionate and joyful children together and doing it together makes it joyful for us too. She loves my children. I love hers. She feeds my kids and I feed hers.
We work together to give our children magical childhoods and we teach them difficult lessons. We attempt to sit and rest while the kids play and we often give up, grab a cup of coffee and chase them instead.
Our children fight like no other and love something fierce. Their relationships are perfect and beautifully imperfect. They are learning to share and struggle and apologize together. It’s not without pain and challenges, but it’s amazing doing this mothering thing with her.
When I had a health scare a few months back, she took our boys without hesitation. She fed them dinner and played with them while my husband and I spent hours at the ER. She is truly my Wing Woman.
Our homes are very close together. We see each other daily. Our backyards are connected and that space has become my peaceful place. Our kids can safely play. We can sit, and it often feels like we’re on vacation. I no longer feel this need to escape on the weekends. And to have such a close friend right in my own backyard makes life so good.
We support each other in our day-to-day lives as mothers and women. This beautiful, unexpected friendship is something I’m grateful for beyond words. I don’t remember our lives before these wonderful people and for this I’m so very thankful.
The Teva Women’s Health “Wing Woman” campaign is all about the Wing Woman in your life and my life who helps make life better. My dear next door neighbor and friend is that for me!
Who is your Wing Woman?
I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.
Love this, Jessica! I have a couple of Wing Women that I don’t know what I’d do without! Great post!!
I’m SO happy you have some as well. It’s really important and makes life so much better.
This is such a great blog! Neighbors are like family, we don’t get to choose them! I feel so grateful to be surrounded by a number of Wing Women in our awesome neighborhood and even more grateful that many are now like family to us. Your Wing Woman is pretty darn awesome too!!!
You’re right. They sure are like family and in our neighborhood, most of us are just very very lucky. So happy you have fabulous wing women to do life with!
Love this post Jess! Couldn’t agree more with you on how magical having Wing Women is!!!
It really is, isn’t it?! Thanks for all you do too. LOVE you!
Beautiful! XO
Beautiful !
So true Jessica. I have a wing woman who came into my life over seven years ago and has been around through the birth of our first and second child. She is our second son’s godmother and I couldn’t think of another person who I would rather have holding that title. It’s not often you get to keep friends through all of life’s changes. I’m so grateful to have my wing woman! Her birthday is tomorrow by the way!