Being the "mom" friend gives you a bad rep. Maybe you're boring. Maybe you're too afraid to do things. Maybe you're prudish. Worst yet, maybe you actually treat your friends like you're their mom. But that isn't what being the mom friend is about. If you don't have a "mom" friend or if you aren't sure if you are here's 13 ways to identify the "mom" friend.
1. You've gotten really good at detecting a lie.
If you've ever wondered how your parents always knew when you were lying here's how. It comes with practice. After the first five or six or one hundred, a person's MO when they lie. Some people blink a lot or they'll stare at their feet. So if you are the mom of your group you can tell when someone's lying about the number of drinks they've had or who they were with all night.
2. All of your friends are predictable...except you
There is nothing quite like the look of shock on your friends' faces when you say, "We should all go out tonight!" Your decisions are always the opposite of what people expect, especially when it relates to spending money in any way. But when it comes to your friends you can predict their plans. An average of three weekends before they need a weekend off just watching Netflix and eating pizza.
3. Nothing surprises you anymore.
Hungover? Failed a bio test? Got back together with an ex? None of it is a surprise. Your friends' habits become like second nature to you. You're aware of who would procrastinate and you know to remind them. You know who would stress over a test and you know how to calm them down.
4. You're entertained by your friend's stupid actions
Bumping into walls or screaming at inanimate objects or dancing to no music or aggressively inhaling food. Something your friends do entertains you.
5. ...but you're always concerned.
You know what and when your friends will post to Snapchat and Instagram and you know what time they usually drag their feet back to their dorms. But that doesn't keep you from keeping your eyes open.
6. You're very familiar with the word "NO!"
Sometimes there are just certain ideas that somebody has to put their foot down on. You know it won't be anyone but you, and that's okay. After all, that's what makes you the mom friend. You probably take pride in the fact that no one has gotten hurt, killed, arrested or written up on your watch.
7. You are fluent in tough love.
Before you became the mom friend you probably hated tough love. You may have even been the really sweet and loving friend, but now you know better. Being sweet and nice doesn't get very far when it comes from keeping your friends from their toxic exes. It especially doesn't help when you're trying to convince someone that studying is actually important.
8. By now you could be the president of a crisis management firm.
It goes hand-in-hand that nothing surprises you and you love tough love. You're a pro at handling bad decisions and the repercussions. There's a very good chance you've diffused a war a few times and never got the credit.
9. You proofread all the emails and texts.
Emails to bosses, professors, group members, friends. It doesn't matter who's going to receive the email, it just needs to have your stamp of approval before it's sent.
10. You may very well have a "bed time".
It doesn't mean you're going to sleep. It just means that nobody is getting anything else from you until the next day. Usually, you take the time to read, watch Netflix, decompress or plan your revenge from all the sleep your friend's make you leave (because they don't respect your bed time.)
11. Everyone's problems become your problems, even when you don't want them to.
It has nothing to do with whether or not your friends want you to know, you're just naturally curious. Then once your curiosity is fulfilled you're determined to find a way to make your friend's lives easier. Often times you fail, but hey, at least you tried.
12. Everything gets dropped when there is a friend in need of anything.
It doesn't matter how tiny or severe it is. If someone near and dear to you needs your support, you will drop everything to get to them. You know that one day you'll want someone to return the favor and you know that they'll be there for you. Even if they aren't, they're still your priority.
13. You're probably really close with your mom.
Okay, so this isn't as fun as the other ones. But it's probably true. Your mom influenced you to always watch out for those you love. So you do. Even though your mom gets on your nerves, you know how important she is to you and that's how your friends feel about you.
