My Aunt Tribe.
They know the uniqueness of my family, they watched me grow up, and they aren’t scared to share their opinion. They never seem to be bothered by my sometime incessant pestering and always do what they can to help. I have always loved my aunts growing up, but it wasn’t until I became a mom that I really recognized how lucky and fortunate I am to have the aunt tribe that I do. It was as if when I became a mom, my aunts became big sisters. Big sisters whose closets I have been known to borrow from, who I’ve travelled to and with, who I happen to live next to, and whose honesty and support through motherhood blow me away constantly. They really portray the true meaning of family and for them, I am forever grateful.
My Inner Friendships Tribe.
I have 1 High School friend, 4 University friends, and 3 teacher friends who make up this inner tribe. They are the ones who in the middle of a breakdown are the first call. They are the ones that will travel long distances to see me and I to see them, since very few of them even live within an hour of me. They are the ones who I may not talk to often, but when I do, it’s like no time has passed. They are my go to partners in crime. They are the ones who are like second moms to my kids and make outings so much easier. They are the ones I think about growing old with and what shenanigans we are going to get up to when we both retire. They are the ones that without a doubt I know are in the long haul with me and I just hope and pray that I provide as much comfort and support for them as they do for me.
My Daycare Mom Tribe.
My daycare mom tribe consists of the group of moms whose little ones attend the same daycare or are in the same class as my little ones. So that means, they are the ones going through the exact same age and transitions with their kids, that I am with mine. They provide a whole other level of advice, suggestions, and commiserating. At first I got to meet them at drop off or pick up and besides a quick hi, how’s it going, or weary look, I didn’t get to communicate with them much, until that first birthday party invite came home. I know some families like to alternate who has to go to the birthday parties with their kids, but that is not a debate in this house. I LOVE the opportunity to go to the birthday parties and get to have a good chat with my daycare mom tribe, because 99% of the time, whatever I am trying to conquer at home, they are trying to as well. Whether this thing I’m trying to conquer is with the kid or just momhood in general, there’s always good advice or suggestions coming from these moms. We also like to share pros and cons of different programs the kids have been participating in and sometimes it works out that we register them for the same program the next session. Kids participating in the same programs, means more time with this mom tribe! I really hope my Daycare mom tribe is not an anomaly and that everyone has the same connection with the moms at their kids daycare.
My Fitness Tribe
I am a strong believer in the “you can’t pour from an empty cup” self care mantra. I know I have to take care of myself, and I know daily movement and fueling my body properly is how I feel my best. If it wasn’t for the large tribe of women I have in various social media groups, I would not do as well prioritizing me as I have this past year. Everyday they show up, they post their successes and cheer on mine. They post their challenges and support me with mine. They look for me when I don’t show up and they congratulate me when I reach milestones for showing up consistently. They experience the same demands and time constraints of everyday life but they don’t let excuses get the better of them. This is a strong group of ladies who build each other up and truly support me in becoming the best version of me.
My Work Tribe
I have never in my life worked in such a place as I have the pleasure of working right now. Just thinking of the individuals that I get to call coworkers, is inspiring. They are some of the most innovative, creative, collaborative and dedicated teachers I have every worked with. I love spending time listening and learning from them, working together to do the best that we can, and feeding off each others ideas. Some people don’t walk in to work excited and happy to be there, not all days do I do this either, but more often than not I do, and while my students are a big reason for this, so too are my coworkers. Being able to work with 15+ ladies who are also moms, many to kids around the same age as mine, allows for a different work environment where there is an underlying mutual understanding and an openness to be able to ask and discuss certain things. Since I spend more of my awake time at work than anywhere else, I am so thankful to get to spend it with the ladies that I do!
The interesting thing about these 5 tribes is that some ladies in my life belong to more than one tribe. However, there is also one lady in my life who does not belong to any of the tribes listed above, she’s kind of a tribe on her own to be honest. She’s the person I can count on the most, she is more often than not my partner in shopping crime, she’s my inspiration for most of my craft attempts, she’s my sounding board for many of my crazy ideas, she will still come take care of us when we are sick at the drop of a hat, she encouraged my love for sports and fitness, and she is one strong incredible lady. She is my mom, and she really is a one lady tribe whose advice and support keeps me going and my gratitude for her cannot be expressed enough.
This Thanksgiving and every day, I am so incredibly thankful and grateful to have these ladies in my life.
What tribes in your life are you grateful for?
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