Moms Need
Girlfriend Time by Mary Beth Bishop
W
hen Roswell mom Mary Reese and her friends hit the road, all the chattering and catching up sometimes outshine the exciting places they visit. Scattered across different states, Reese and her longtime girlfriends may not talk much during the year. But once they get together again, the conversation never ends. “They came to Atlanta last year and never left my house,” says Reese. The mother of two boys, ages 7 and 11, travels each year with a tightknit group of friends formed at North Carolina’s Salem College. She had places she wanted to take them in the metro area, but they couldn’t get organized to leave Reese’s home. They were too busy just catching up with each other. Amid the laughter, they’ve steered each other through everything from bad boyfriends in their early years to providing support when more serious issues came along, including miscarriage and illness. It’s an association born out of a long tradition. Two of the women’s mothers were also friends long ago at Salem and began the tradition of traveling with their own college 20 Atlanta Parent September 2012
friends. Reese and her college chums began their annual getaways shortly after graduating in 1989. Their adventures have included a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands and horseback riding in Colorado. “It reminds you of who you were before you were a wife and mother,” Reese says. “It takes you back to your essential self. You can go back to who you are inside yourself and not who you are in the world every day.” Steph O’Connell of Sandy Springs reaches even further back to recharge with
some favorite girls. Last month she traveled to Boston and spent time with friends that she’s been close to since the seventh grade “Self preservation is key,” she says, and friends are a vital connection for the busy mom of four boys. She also loves to “step out of the mom zone” with local women friends (lots of fellow moms) for a monthly game of cards. “I get to be just Steph for at least one night a month.” Cont’d on page 22
Reese and her college chums began their annual
getaways shortly after graduating in 1989. Their adventures have included a trip to the U.S. Virgin Islands and horseback riding in Colorado. atlantaparent.com