Why Every Mom Needs a Mom Friend: The Secret to Staying Sane, Supported, and Seen

Latoya Baldwin
Jul 28
4 min read

Updated: Nov 2

It doesn’t matter if you’re a brand new mom, raising a teenager, or halfway through building your own army. It doesn’t matter if you’re parenting solo, happily married, or co-parenting across states.

Motherhood is hard. And without a strong support system, it can feel like your experiences are isolated. Like you have to tough it out alone.

You’re a mom, right? That’s what we do.

But let me tell you from experience as a single mother: I’ve had more than a few days where I felt like the weight of the entire world was sitting on my shoulders. Days I’ve slumped on the couch and whispered to myself, How can one person possibly handle all of this?

Eventually, I realized… I wasn’t supposed to.

Why Mom Friends Matter

Think about it, when we were younger and needed support, we sought out like-minded people and called them best friends. Now that we’re mothers, we need to be just as intentional about finding connection.

Sure, the conversations and hangouts look different than they did in college. Maybe you’re trading Friday nights out for frozen pizza and Disney+. But the need for meaningful relationships hasn’t changed.

In fact, it’s never been more important.

Your Girlfriends vs. Your Mom Friends

Some people will tell you your girlfriends can be your mom friends. And sometimes, that’s true. But I’ve learned they often serve different roles and both are necessary.

Your girlfriends may not have children. Their routines, goals, and social rhythms may look totally different. That doesn’t make their friendship less valuable, but it can make their support less aligned in the day-to-day chaos of motherhood.

Mom friends are in the trenches with you. They understand the invisible load you carry. They get the exhaustion, the guilt, the love, the mental to-do list that never ends. And when you find the right ones? They become lifelines.

Here’s what I’ve found mom friends are uniquely built for:

1. Being Your Cheerleader

No one knows how to lift you up like another mother who’s had to talk herself back into the game more times than she can count.

They know what it means to keep going when everything feels like too much. They’ve had mornings where they had to fake a smile at drop-off, meetings they powered through on two hours of sleep, and evenings where the smallest meltdown broke them.

Because of that, mom friends know exactly how to spot when you need a push, a pause, or a reminder that you’re doing better than you think.

2. Teaching Through Real-Life Experience

Every day in motherhood is a new learning curve. Surrounding yourself with other moms means you don’t have to climb it alone.

Mom friends are the ones you text in the middle of a tantrum with, “Is this normal?” They’re the first ones to offer a helpful tip, a tried-and-true product, or a story that makes you feel seen instead of judged.

Together, you become better mothers. You pass down wisdom, share what worked and what didn’t, and build resilience in each other.

3. Listening Without Fixing

Sometimes you just need to vent. You’re not looking for a solution. You don’t need a silver lining. You need someone to say, “Me too.”

That’s the gift of mom friends.

They won’t talk over your frustration. They’ll sit with you in it. They’ll let you ramble, rage, cry, or laugh until you feel like yourself again. And they’ll never shame you for needing a moment.

4. Offering Judgment-Free Grace

There will be days when you don’t feel like a good mom. You’ll yell. You’ll cave. You’ll use screen time as a babysitter or tell a little white lie just to get ten minutes alone.

And when you confess those moments to your mom friends, they won’t clutch their pearls. They’ll say, “We’ve all been there.”

The right mom friends will remind you that you’re human. That perfect parenting doesn’t exist. That your love is enough. And that grace is just as important as grit.

5. Flexing With Your Real Life

One of the things I appreciate most about my mom circle is how effortlessly flexible they are.

They understand canceled plans aren’t a sign of disinterest, they’re a survival tactic. They won’t side-eye you if your sitter cancels, your kid throws up five minutes before your coffee meet-up, or you just don’t have it in you to talk.

There’s an unspoken agreement: as long as everyone is safe, no hard feelings.

That kind of flexibility is a love language in motherhood.

Finding Your Mom Tribe

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing this alone, I want you to know you’re not.

Building a strong community of mom friends doesn’t have to happen overnight. It starts with showing up in small ways. Commenting on a post. Saying hi at the school pickup line. Creating space for real conversations.

I’m five years into this motherhood journey, and the mom friends I’ve made have kept me grounded more times than I can count. And I want the same for you.

Your Support System Matters

I love giving career advice. I love talking about power, visibility, and rising as a woman in leadership. But before any of that, I’m a mom.

And I believe every mother deserves to feel supported, seen, and empowered, not just in her career, but in her home, her friendships, and her sense of self.

If you’re looking for community, I want to invite you to explore The Vault™. It’s a space for ambitious women who are doing hard things and want a sisterhood to rise with. Yes, we talk salary strategy and promotions. But we also talk about showing up for ourselves, redefining motherhood, and giving each other permission to need help.

Because we were never meant to do any of this alone.