Building Relationships

When I think about the relationships I currently have, I feel as if I can put them into some categories.

1) Family

2) Friends

3) Professional Friendships

My family relationships that remain the strongest are with my husband (of course), and my mother.  I find it interesting how relationships change as we age or go through certain times in our lives.  Growing up, most of us mostly valued our relationships with friends.  Now that I am a mother, and in the midst of parenting, my strongest, most valued relationships are with my husband and mother (my close family).  They are my closest supports, and it seems like I am finding it more difficult to maintain other relationships in the manner I would like.  This is mainly due to being so extremely busy.  These close family relationships make me feel loved, safe, supported, and happy.  

My husband is truly my best friend. 

My relationships with my friends seem to be less involved than they used to be.  We all have children now, most of us work, and some of us are now cities and states apart.  My relationships with my friends consist of occasional barbeques (usually with all of our children running around), occasional adult only outings for special occasions such as birthdays, and lots of text messages, emails, and Facebook.  I find great joy in getting an email from a girlfriend who I haven't talked to in a long time.  These relationships make me feel connected, supported, and happy in a well-rounded sort of way.  Friendships with peers were extremely important when we were 5 year old, and still remain extremely important.

When I was on maternity leave, my girlfriends and I got together often with our new babies in tow.   

My professional friendships are friendships that I have formed with colleagues and/or parents of children that I work with through my current profession.  I have formed some great relationships with these parents through the connection we have with their child.  They feel supported by me, and I feel needed by them.  Another main reason that I am able to easily connect with these families is because my oldest child went through the early intervention program (that I work for) until she was 3 years old.  I have faced some of the same therapies, surgeries, and ups and downs that many of these families face on a daily basis.  Even though some of these friendships seem to slowly dissolve after I stop seeing their child, some of these relationships have continued, and I still see some of these families, often getting together with all of our children for playdates, outings, etc.