“Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one.’ “  -C.S. Lewis

When was the last time you laughed so hard you peed yourself a little?

And then without missing a beat, owned up to it with an unselfconscious laugh?

It was probably with your girlfriends.

Right?

Pee your pants. Whatever. They’ll tease you and then hand you a paper towel.

It’s easy with them.

No judgment, just being.

For years, my high-school girlfriends and I have tossed around a girls’ weekend.

Let’s get together, we’d say. Then family life would jump in front of us, breaking the chain.

Recently, we reconnected.

We put our heads together, found a date, and made it happen. You know how hard it is to find a date that works for seven moms, right? This was a feat.

Childcare for our 18 respective children we’re met, and all seven of us turned up on Saturday around 1:00 p.m.

As the girls rolled up to my parent’s cottage for a proper girls’ night sleepover, I was geeked. I met them at their cars, eager to get the party at Rudey’s started.

Yes, 20 years have passed since high school. Yes, it’s been two decades of college, marriages, kiddos, and careers, but …

These girls are my people. We are each other’s people.

Leading up to the weekend, my husband asked, “What are you going to do?”

“Do?” I asked and immediately answered, “We’ll probably just hang out. Eat, drink, and chat.”

He was a bit baffled by this, accustomed to his annual boys’ golf weekend. Lots of doing.

I continued, “Girls just like to hang and chat, we don’t need to do anything.”

Five Reasons Every Mom Needs a Girls’ Night Away:

1. To Recharge: It’s girlfriend therapy. This was uninterrupted time—a time to take off our mommy and wife hats, and be girlfriends. It was a full day to confide and laugh our asses off without any responsibilities.

Time away with your girlfriends is a pause from daily parenting to let loose with friends who are also in the trenches of motherhood. Living life as though it’s B.C. (before children) is good for the soul.

2. To Just Be: One friend verified via text, “Are we really wearing sweats?” The answer: “Yes!!!!” No glitz or glam. The only ask: Be yourself, and forget worrying about your wardrobe and those last five pounds. Need to walk out and have a cry, it’s AOK. We’ll listen and hug you. This is the time to do it. Take a nature walk and stumble on the beach, getting burs on your butt. No one judges. We’re there to laugh and pick the burs out.

Bottom line: Girlfriends love you and know you. Being with women you know and trust is a special sort of cleanse.

3. To Let Loose: I said Beer Me a few too many times. As my mom says, “It tastes like more.” But there was no judgment. We all did. Ready for a shot of Purple Panty Dropper? We all were. We had no kids waiting for us at the cottage.

Say something stupid? Something less than your every-day standard? Instead of judgment, there were giggles, high fives, and seriously!

Your girlfriends support you and call you out when necessary. Your girlfriends love you to pieces, faux pas and all. You trust each other, so let it all out.

4. To Spill It: Your back hurts? We dished and gripped; cried and shared, until we were all spilling with laughter. I had a real hankering for my husband many beers deep and pressed my girlfriend, “Isn’t he hot? Don’t you want to make out with him?” I sure did. Eek. I felt awkward when she brought it up the next morning. Red in the face, I tried to remember #3.

Girl talk never tires. Am I right ladies? We want to you to spare no details. Give us the nitty gritty.

5. To Put on Perspectacles: We swapped stories about ourselves and our family members. We roared with laughter about misadventures and mishaps. We sang loud and off beat with the townie bar’s jukebox, and analyzed our problems, big and smaller. Everyone’s story is unfolding differently, but so many threads are intertwined. Our lives have changed a lot since high school, yet so much remains.

Through talking, recapping, and reminiscing, you regroup and see life through your girlfriends’ lenses.

Do you do a girls get-away? When was the last time? If it’s been a while, fire out a text. It’s time plan your next girls weekend! 

P.S. Ladies, where should we go next?

***

About the Author

Rudey Maliszewski

Bienvenue! I'm Rudey. I’m a writer and an elementary French teacher living Chicago with my husband and two daughters. My driving force comes from my mom, who always said: "I gave you roots to guide you and wings so you can fly." I've built my life around that motto. My aim is to pass on to my daughters what my family secured in me. I want us to slow down, grow roots, and build a solid foundation. I also want to strengthen our wings and soar.