In honor of CTWM’s 2nd Anniversary, I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the women in my life who, in the name of sisterhood, lend a helping hand, babysitting services, emergency school pick-ups, emotional stability, an “Is this crazy, or is it me?” sounding board, lots of laughs, and the occasional glass of wine.

First, one of my oldest friends, Liz, who welcomed me to the neighborhood I met when we moved to Connecticut 14 years ago. Pulling her then three-year-old daughter in a red plastic wagon, she introduced herself and then spent an hour outside my house just gabbing – we could have talked all night – it was one of those rare times in life when you immediately hit it off with someone and you just know that you’re going to be friends for life. When I had my son, she was my go-to person for information and support – and living just four houses away, my afternoon entertainment when I thought I’d go crazy with a two month old baby on snowy winter afternoons. Although we’ve both moved to new homes – she’s still the person that I can call at 7am in both good times and bad.

I met Christine at the first meeting of our pediatricians “New Moms Support Group.” While our sons, born three weeks apart, were our first connection, it wasn’t until after we got past all the breastfeeding, sleep deprivation, and toddler tantrums and really started talking – and we realized that we have a very similar family background and upbringings. We totally “get” where the other is coming from when it comes to our families. And, after 10 years, our boys are still best buddies – and he comes with two little brothers – a BIG plus for my only child who refers to his pals as, “his brothers from another mother.”

My pal Lisa lives around the corner and has two boys, one just two months older than my son. She’s my “is this normal? Is your son doing this too?” touchstone. We’ve spent 5 years together at the same elementary school – working together on PTO events, attending the same functions, and watching our boys grow up. She’s filled in for me in a pinch when I couldn’t get out of work events, picking up my son from school and inviting him to her home on snow days so that I could go into the office for a few hours.

Finally, my sister-in-law, Martha. Ten years older than me and infinitely wiser, she is both my mentor, friend, and role-model. Her two daughters are shining examples of great parenting that I hope to emulate. Now that one niece has graduated from college and entered the working world, and the other is just began her second year of college, Martha is considering options for life post-motherhood and what that means in terms of career, home-life, friendships, etc… I feel her excitement as she embarks on a new stage of life – and it’s comforting to know that all the effort you put into your kids pays off in your relationships with your adult children.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the support, kindness, acceptance, and humor of my fellow bloggers and readers. I love reading both the blogs and comments on the site. It’s both enlightening and heartwarming to read about other people’s experiences in raising their kids (regardless of parenting philosophy) because at the core of it all, we have just one goal – to raise healthy, happy children.