ZONDERVAN

Women Are Scary

Copyright 2015 by Melanie Dale
This title is also available as a Zondervan ebook. Visit www.zondervan.com/ebooks.
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, 3900 Sparks Dr. SE, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49546
ISBN 978-0-310-34105-5
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Holy Bible,
New International Version, NIV. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
In order to protect the poor moms who are stuck on fourth base with me, I have
changed their names to companions from Doctor Who: Rose, Martha, Donna, Amy,
Rory, River, and Clara. I dont want to out them publicly and end up back on first, and
my love for them transcends time and regenerations.
Any internet addresses (websites, blogs, etc.) and telephone numbers in this book are
offered as a resource. They are not intended in any way to be or imply an endorsement
by Zondervan, nor does Zondervan vouch for the content of these sites and numbers
for the life of this book.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval
system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without
the prior permission of the publisher.
Cover design: James Hall
Interior illustration: Alex Dale and Greg Johnson
Interior design: Kait Lamphere
First printing January 2015 / Printed in the United States of America

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CONTENTS

1. A Complete Lobotomy of the Heart

2. Women Are Scary
3. The Bases of Momlationships

9
14
20

Part 1
First Base

4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Mom-Date Virgin
Trolling for Moms
Small Talk for Small-Talk Haters
Mom Monsters
A Totally Judgmental Zit

27
31
37
46
53

Part 2
Second Base

9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.

Dating on the Space-Time Continuum

The Group Date
Moms Can Change the World
How Not to Choke on Your Own Foot
Wield Your Weirdness Like a Boss
One Sock Short of a Pair
Overly Intense Eye Contact

65
72
77
84
90
98
102

Part 3
Third Base

16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

Its About to Get Real

The Superpower of Initiating
Navigating Your Childs Social Awkwardness
Dating (When Youre) a Working Mom
The Anatomy of a Full-Frontal Hug

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109
112
118
126
133

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Part 4
Fourth Base

21.
22.
23.
24.
25.

Fourth-Basers, the Ultimate Friends

Cranking Out a Mom Date If It Kills You
Praying for a Bromance
Rekindling the Momlationship
Going Long Distance

143
152
160
164
171

Part 5
(Not Quite) Home Free

26. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: The Phaseout

27. Breaking Up Is Hard to Do: The Confrontation
28. When You Want to Mow Her Down
with Your Minivan
29. How to Get Your Mojo Back
30. Screw Your Courage
31. The Mother Network
32. What the World Needs Now

179
186
197
205
213
220
224

Acknowledgments 231
Resources for Moms

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233

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||

Chapter 1

||

A Complete Lobotomy
of the Heart
Principal: At no point in your rambling, incoherent response
was there anything that could even be considered a rational
thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having
listened to it. I award you no points, and may God have
mercy on your soul.
From Billy Madison1

Im going to need a hug before I get started. Im about to tell

you about my relationships with women, but Im not completely
all that terrific at small talk, so can we skip ahead together and
pretend like weve known each other for a while? Come over here
and hug it out.
Okay. Thanks for that.
When we finally brought our Elliott home from neonatal
intensive care and my husband had the gall to go back to work
and leave me alone with our four-pound floppy baby, I felt
overwhelmed.
Im not the only one, right?
9

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Young mothers are shriveling up into crusty dried raisins of
despair. Every minute feels like forever when your two-year-old
wants to put on her own socks and your five-year-old wont get
in the bathtub. When youre a mom, you spend hours and hours
sitting with other moms while your kids kick a soccer ball, learn
how to blow bubbles in the pool, and shake maracas at music class.
You bat eyes at each other and glance away. Its awkward and
someone always needs a diaper change and no one ever knows
what to say. And most of us are frazzled and lonely, isolated in
our minivans, schlepping bags, strollers, and munchkins to and
fro across town.
I believe that we are better together. We make each other better moms, better humans. We need each other, because mothering is just too darn hard. Women Are Scary is our journey to each
other, to finding our people and being other peoples people, to
learning how to bless each other and not destroy each other.

I believe that we are better together. We make

each other better moms, better humans.

My Lumpy, Bumpy Road

Im the least likely person to write a book about motherhood.
For years, I didnt want to be a mom. My boyfriend and I almost
broke up because of it.
I have the most amazing parents in the universe. Ever. My
mother stayed at home with my brother and me, and she could do
it all. Baked goods greeted us when we came home from school.
She was room mom, made homemade dinners every night, and
we always had folded, clean clothes. When I was wracked out in
pain every month because, unbeknownst to me, endometriosis
was killing my fertility, she held my hand, brought me meds, and
whispered to me to think of my toes. Think of your toes, sweetie.
Relax your toes.
My mom gave everything she had to be a superhero to us, and

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even so, we treated her like crap. Despite her self-sacrifice and
outpouring of unconditional love, we took her for granted, took
advantage of her, took her cookies and ran.
I told my boyfriend that I couldnt handle the sacrifice. I told
him, Ill have kids if I can be the dad. I dont want to be the
mom. I could never live up to my mom, and my kids deserved
nothing less. So I just wouldnt have them.

Ill have kids if I can be the dad.

I dont want to be the mom.
We almost ended it there, but we were in love and total idiots.
We decided to table the discussion and keep swing dancing and
watching Fletch together. A few years later, we got married, and a
few years after that, I felt the oddest urge to do the mom thing,
like maybe the baby wouldnt start rejecting me right when it came
out. Like maybe the first few years might be worth it. Like maybe
even if I wasnt as good a mom as my mom, maybe I could be good
enough. I found myself experiencing a complete lobotomy of the
heart. I wanted a baby. I really, really wanted to be a mom.
Then I discovered I couldnt.
Every year that crept by felt like twelve deaths. I rode a
monthly merry-go-round of up-up-up hope, hanging at the top,
feeling maybe this time, then down-down-down into despair. Every
month it felt like my dream baby died. On the road of infertility,
I discovered how far I was willing to go for my child. I would
endure any needle, any surgery, anything for my baby.
And finally after five years, I held him. The little preemie
red raisin who survived my body, barely, and lay in his incubator
hooked up to all the beeping things. He made me a mommy. And
I loved him.
I loved being Mommy. I loved it so much that I tried to make
more babiesmore needles and science and more brokenness.
My body told me, Youre done, and after months of counseling, I began to feel whole again. God glued me back together,

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shard by broken shard, and then surprised me with an unexpected
gift, a passion for adoptionpassion, not fallback. Adoption
became the deep desire of my heart, not a backup plan.
We worked and waited for our daughter for two years, and it
still surprises me how hard I work for the children I didnt used
to want.
We brought our daughter home from Ethiopia when she was
almost two. Now shes four, our incubator boy is six, and as I finish this book, Im sitting in a cozy apartment in Latvia with the
nine-year-old girl who has captivated us all. Three continents,
three kids, and three unique journeys to each of them.

Powerhouse Women
As Ive met moms, from the ones at our local playground to
the ones advocating for orphans around the world, Im flabbergasted that I ever had a dim view of motherhood. I saw it as giving
something up. It never occurred to me what Id gain. My rough
road to motherhood grew my character and readied me to join
this incredible group of women, powerhouse women changing
lives around the world together.

I saw motherhood as giving something up.

It never occurred to me what Id gain.
Mothers are strong and powerful, and when we join together
in relationship, mountains move. The girl who once turned up
her nose at motherhood fought tooth and nail to enter in. Im still
fighting for my kids.
As I gained kids, I gained so much more. I entered into a living, loving organism of motherhood. Society fears our power,
seeks to divide us on issues, but when we pull together for the
common good of generations, we change the world.
So Im here, oddly enough, the girl who didnt want to be a
mom, the girl who couldnt be a mom, trying to break down these

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crazy things I call momlationships. You know, those relationships that come with car pools and cupcakes, friendships borne at
T-ball games and in quiet corners feeding babies.
Whether you became a mom accidentally or on purpose,
hesitantly or with gusto, youre here now, and sooner or later,
were going to meet at a park or soccer game or ballet class. And
it might get awkward.
In this space of a book I invite us to come together. So much
of mothering doesnt seem to apply to melike Pinterest. And
other parts of me dont seem to apply to motheringlike my
unabashed movie quoting. If these pages dont apply to you, read
my story and have the freedom and grace to live your own. No
matter who you are, you are welcome.

Notes
1. Billy Madison, directed by Tamra Davis, Universal Pictures, 1995.

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||

Chapter 2

||

Women Are Scary

The Doctor: Therere a lot of things you need to get across
this universe. Warp drive ... wormhole refractors ... You
know the thing you need most of all? You need a hand to
From Doctor Who1
hold.

I was sitting in a roomful of women I barely knew, watching a

video in which Bible teacher Beth Moore got down in someones
face and declared, I love women!2
Ooh, I thought to myself, I dont think I love women. Women are
scary, complicated creatures.
The very next moment, something inside me bubbled up and
I prayed inside my head, God, help me to love women.
Nothing happened. I didnt feel the earth shake or my insides
quiver. I finished watching the video, picked up my daughter in
the nursery, and moved on with my life.
Never did I suspect that God would answer that little prayer
in such a big way. Ive spent the last four years blogging about
orphan care and our adoption journeys. As a sponsorship coordinator for Childrens HopeChest, Ive traveled to Uganda several
14

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times where we partner with a group of widows in a small village
to serve about three hundred orphans and vulnerable children.
Loving the women in Uganda came naturally to me. Loving the
women right here at home felt harder.
Looking back over the last couple of years, since praying that
prayer, Ive realized that God has completely rewired my heart.
I find myself asking questions, listening to the hearts and hurts
of the women around me, and offering bear hugs with abandonment. Where I wanted to run, I now leap to encourage. Where I
felt defensive, I now celebrate our differences.

Where I wanted to run, I now leap to

encourage. Where I felt defensive,
I now celebrate our differences.
In the burbs where I do life, we live in an independent, isolated culture. As Ive traveled to Uganda and witnessed material
poverty in the village with which were partnered, Ive discovered
that my culture struggles with a different kind of poverty. We
dont lack food, clean water, or clothing, but we lack relationships.
Whereas my friends in northern Uganda reside in small mud
homes and live life together, outside, as a community, gathering
at the borehole for water, working their gardens side by side, and
looking out for each others children, we live in elaborate homes
with multiple rooms and water that comes out of our own faucets.
We drive our cars into garages and close the doors behind us, and
we can go days and weeks without interacting with the neighbors
unless were intentional about making friends.
And while I will continue to champion the orphans and widows whom I love, Ive realized that its no less noble to reach out
to the hurting moms and kids right in my own community. If we
can learn how to develop real, soul-soothing relationships, theres
no stopping what we can do together for our kids, our families,
and the world. But first we have to stop being scary and scared of
each other.

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Hiding from Women

I meet so many women who say they had few girlfriends growing up. They preferred to hang out with guys, because guys were
less complicated and more fun. That was me. And apparently
there were a lot of us who felt that way. Many girls were difficult
and hurtful, and we just gave up, took our toys, and went home.
We hid. Some of us are still hiding.

Many girls were difficult and hurtful, and we just

gave up, took our toys, and went home.
A friend in high school once said of me, Ive spent a year
trying to get to know the real Melanie, and Ive decided theres
just not that much to get to know. Twenty years later, I still
remember that. And someone else is probably still remembering
something mean that I cant take back.
Words hurt, and they are the weapons of choice for a lot of us
women. We build relationships and hang out with other women
and think were connected, only to have mean girls shatter us with
clever words. Maybe youve been on the receiving end of a word
bullet, or maybe youve been the shooter.
We leave high school, but if we arent careful, we never leave
high school. We just grow up, acquire kids, and have even more
things about which to bicker. From how you feed your baby to
how you educate your first grader, we argue and scare the crap out
of each other. Other women can be scary! We all have big opinions, and you never know whats going to set us off. Why bother.
Its too awkward and complicated. Who has time for other women?
Right? Ive thought it.

My First Real Girlfriend

In college, they force you to have roommates. And for many of
us, that was hard too. Here were people from whom you couldnt
get away. You just shared a space and hurt and annoyed each other

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month after month. By the end of my sophomore year, I was ready
to move into a single room and give up on girls altogether. I felt
unlovable. Argumentative. Misunderstood.
Ill never forget casually mentioning that I was thinking about
moving into a single room for junior year and one of my roommates saying something like, Ill go wherever, as long as were
together. Maybe she didnt say it that way. But in my head, people
started soft-shoe dancing and there were cartoon birdies. Another
girl actually wanted to keep being my friend, to keep living with
me. I couldnt believe it.
She was my roommate for two more years. We were in each
others weddings. You could not pick two more different people.
As a quiet person, she taught me to listen. Well, at least I got
better at it. When I was a crazy psycho because my boyfriend took
his darn ol time proposing, she gave me grace. She introduced me
to the pomegranate, and we listened to Big Bad Voodoo Daddy
together. We werent moms yet. But she was my first real day-in,
day-out, doing-life-together relationship.
We attended our first womens retreat together, hosted by the
women at our church. At that point I was still learning how to be a
little bit normal, how to navigate female relationships. My life as a
theatre major, a fairly untalented one, consisted of daily rehearsals
in which I stood in the back and played the silent role of wench or
maid and practiced carrying trays and not drawing attention to
myself while wearing a corset and petticoat.
On the night of my first womens retreat, I of course had wench
or maid rehearsal in my whalebones and came to the retreat late,
tired, and my insides just a little squeezed. My boobs were relieved
to be out of the corset and away from my throat, and I guess I was
exploring my diaphragmatic freedom, because before I knew what
I was doing, I burped loudly in front of everyone.
I liked burping. Burping was awesome. And then an entire
room filled with older church ladies turned to stare at me and I
could tell they were mustering the good Christian grace for which
theyd trained, and I realized that maybe my parents werent the

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only ones who thought burping in public was a bad idea. Having
girlfriends and being a lady might require sacrifice on my part. No
more burping wench-maid. I wasnt sure what I thought about this.

I Dont Quite Fit

Years later, I still love Jesus, and burping, and sometimes in
spite of myself and my complete weirdness, I still go to these
things called womens conferences. Theyre filled with lovely
ladies and prayer and Im always just a little on edge, like I dont
quite fit and if they only knew what was going on inside of me ...
you know, besides gas. In a room full of Christian women I always
secretly panic that Im going to somehow lose control and scream
the f-bomb over and over until they drag me out by my Bible.

In a room full of Christian women I always

secretly panic that Im going to somehow lose
control and scream the f-bomb over and over
until they drag me out by my Bible.
And sometimes when Im hanging out with friends I worry
in my head that Ill bust out my bilingual Christianese and start
talking in church words, and theyll bless my butt out of Dodge
and spank my exegesis.
And that right there illustrates how remarkably bizarre I
am, if Im worried that Im too Christianese and that Im a total
wreck and too morally repugnant. If someone this screwed up
in the brain can make friends, then you can, too. Im sure of it.
And if you read this book and still crash and burn, well, then, at
least youll have someone to blame. (*Disclaimer: Reading this
book will not automatically give you friends. I have no formal
training in people or relationships and am in no way an expert
on friendships. Also, sometimes Im serious and sometimes Im
kidding, and I leave it to your discernment to figure out when.
If you experience relational upheaval after reading this book, its

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Women Are Scary || 19

not my fault, although Id be happy to give you a full-frontal hug
if thatll make you feel better.)
When you get past the scariness, other moms are fun. Youll
find that theyre covered in vomit just like you. They try not to go
off on their kids just like you. They try to find time and energy
for sex just like you. They crave adult conversation with someone
else who understands, just like you.
Women Are Scary is an invitation to momlationships. Girls are
tricky and weird. Were too opinionated and insecure. We tear
each other apart. And we need each other.
I witnessed the perfect illustration of female relationships as
I waited for my kids in the pickup line at preschool. I watched as
two three-year-old girls held hands and tried to walk in opposite
directions. They yanked and yanked each other back and forth.
They were very angry. They were bossy. They tried and tried to
get the other one to go their way. Because their way was better.
They knew. No matter how hard they yanked and yanked, they
each had their own idea about the right way to do things. But in
all the yanking and bossing, they never let go. They held hands
tighter and tighter.
Thats a relationship with a girl. We hold hands. We dont let
go. Because we need each other. We yank and yank, but we dont
let go.
So this is a call to find your girls, grab hands, and dont let go.
We are better together. Put on your best sweatpants and lets get
started.

Notes
1. The Almost People, Doctor Who, British Broadcasting Corporation,
May 28, 2011.
2. Beth Moore, James: Mercy Triumphs, Lifeway Christian Resources,
2011, DVD.

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||

Chapter 3

||

The Bases of
Momlationships
Barbossa: The code is more what youd call guidelines
than actual rules.
From Pirates of the Caribbean1

You get married. You conjure up some kids. Youve kissed dating
good-bye.
Or have you?
When you show up at the park for the first time with your
little ones spilling out of the van (along with a healthy amount of
cups and dirty napkins, if youre like me), scan the swing sets for
anyone you might recognize, and notice that all the other moms
are already hanging out in pairs, you realize that your dating
years have only just begun.
When you were dating your man, you ate dinners for which
you didnt pay and walked through doors that he opened for you.
When you date other moms, you pack extra baggies of healthy
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snacks and push doors open with your face while schlepping car
seats. When you were dating your man, you wore incredible outfits and said, Oh, this old thing? I just threw it on last minute.
When you date other moms, you wear tees and yoga pants and
say, Oh, this old thing? My toddler just threw up on it.
I recently met a new friend and I was thinking about our budding momlationship. Our kids attend some of the same activities, and weve enjoyed chatting while they harass their various
coaches. I really like her, and I think she likes me too. And just
like the other kind of dating, there are bases.

Just like the other kind of dating, there are bases.

First Base
First base is hanging out while your kids are in activities
together. You make encouraging comments about each others
kids as they scream hysterically and hit each other with kick
boards and pretend light sabers. I like to go ahead and act a little
weird on first base, just to give them a taste for where theyre
headed if they stick with me. Im terrible at small talk, so if I
survive this phase with another mom, then I know shes either
desperate for a friend or really into me. I go too deep too soon,
which scares off a mom just asking how many kids I have. Do
you mean in my home, or in orphanages around the world? Here
locally, or in a village in Uganda? Have you ever considered sponsoring a child? Wait, where are you going? Wanna hear about
malaria and deworming?

Second Base
Second base is a park playdate outside of scheduled activities.
At this point, youre hanging out because you want to and you set
it up ahead of time. Your kids like each other. You like each other.
This could be the start of something beautiful. At the park, youre

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still on neutral territory. I usually throw in a snort laugh right
around here. The conversation could wade into deeper waters.
Someone might toss out an opinion or two. Keep it loving, girls.
Keep it gracious. If you love gluten-free, feel free to talk about it.
If you love J esus, feel free to talk about him. Just dont start talking in absolutes, making broad, generalizing statements, because
you may never make it to third.
We do that sometimes, dont we?
And overly intense eye contact, never use this while discussing
homeschooling, gluten, gun control, breastfeeding, marriage, red
dye number 40, infertility, or Jesus. I may have left out a few
things. If theres a subject that might cause you to stop blinking
and/or breathing, save it for fourth base and dont unleash it at
the park.

Third Base
Third base is a playdate at one of your houses. This is a tricky
base because your kids are now on home court and your new
friend is going to see your daughter body-slam her toddler to the
ground and take back the toy that he just picked up. She will see
the layer of dried-on grime coating your kids chair at the table,
and she will notice the unflushed dooky from your sons morning
dump. Third base is not for the weak. Its about to get real in
here. There could be laundry piles. You better have the relational
stamina for this kind of commitment.
By third base, Im full-frontal hugging, so prepare for that.
If youre my third-base friend, get ready for our boobs smashed
up together while I ask how youre doing right in your ear. If
you answer that with any kind of trauma, Im a-gonna pull it
right back together for another mash-up, breathe some words of
encouragement into your ear, then pull back for some heavy eye
contact. (Upon reading this, my husband informed me, Who are
you kidding? Youre easy. You go for full-frontal hugging on first
base. So Im a hug-slut. Bring it in, ladies. Im ready.)

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Fourth Base
Fourth base is hanging out without the kids. I know. Whoa.
The kids have become optional. You can actually meet at a restaurant, movie theater, coffee shop, or bookstore and talk. Uninterrupted. For hours. Just because you want to, not because youre
killing time while your kids do their thing. You have arrived.
This person is worth spraying on your fancy jeans. Feel free to
bust out your full-blown honk laugh, talk about how soy gives you
diarrhea, and how you worry that youre a crappy mom. Youve
found your person. She loves you for you.
To my fourth-basers: I love you more than words can say. Lets
get our date on soon. Ill dust off my fancy jeans, and we can eat
Thai coconut soup and talk about not our kids. Were gonna get
hot and heavy, mom-style. Fourth base for moms is so much better than dating fourth base. Theres dessert, staying out till the
security guard kicks you out of the mall parking lot, and no walk
of shame as you crawl into bed next to your racked-out hubs. One
fourth-base mom date will last me for a couple of months. Its just
that fulfilling.
Jump in, girls. Dating for moms is super fun, and you just
might get lucky.

Notes
1. Pirates of the Caribbean, directed by Gore Verbinski, Walt Disney Pictures, 2003.

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Part 1

First Base

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||

Chapter 4

||

Mom-Date Virgin
Woman: Ill have what shes having.
From When Harry Met Sally1

I remember my first mom date. I was a mom-date virgin, and

my own mom set me up. Yep, the girl writing about mom dating
had to have her mommy help her find friends. We were new to
parenting, new to town, and living over my parents garage while
we looked for a house. My moms close friend also had a daughter
who was moving here, and they swore adamantly that wed click.
She told me exuberantly, I found your new best friend! I had
my doubts.
The first time I met her was at a little first-base Hello My Name
Is in the lobby after church. I was recently C-sectioned and lumpy,
unaccustomed to the Georgia summer heat and covered in sweat
and my own breast milk. My clothes were packed and nothing
fit and Id borrowed my moms shirt that morning. I felt like an
armpit, like my entire person was one big armpit with eyes.

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I felt like an armpit, like my entire person

was one big armpit with eyes.
Across the church lobby, this tanned priestess named Rose
strode toward me with her mile-long legs balancing perfectly on
four-inch high heels. This was during her experiment with veganism, so she looked incredible, like whats the lowest possible
amount of body fat you can have without being dead? That. Her
hair was long and shiny, and she balanced her toddler on her chiseled hip while her three-year-old stood nearby. She smiled and
was the nicest person on the planet and I couldnt decide if I
wanted to kill her with my thoughts or maybe ask her if she
wanted to snuggle.
A few days later, Rose picked
Via Twitter @UnexpectedMel
us up in her Cheerio-encrusted
I love our van. It feels
van and we went to lunch with our
like another room in our
boys. I remember looking at the
house, a room that never,
ever gets cleaned.
inside of her van with amazement.
It was the most disgusting thing Id
ever seen, and me with my three-month-old baby couldnt fathom
what could cause that level of grossness.
Oh. One million blown-out diapers and three billion baggies
of cereal later, I understand. Six years later, I am proud to drive
my own sticky Petri Dish of Love around town.
Elliott was three months old, and I remember the day because
it was the first time he wore shoes. Rose and I secretly sneered at
the thought of our mothers being able to set us up. I really never
put much faith in my mothers ability to find me a friend, but she
nailed it.
Rose was perfect. I thought she knew everything. We ran the
bases together until that magical night when we went out without
kids, and our friendship has lasted through babies, adoptions, and
moving out of state. Since my maiden voyage into mom dating,
Ive forged delicious relationships with several other fourth-basers
too. And Ill always have my Rose. Shes my people, and she loves
me even though she knows how gross I am.

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Mom-Date Virgin || 29

Two Unexpected Mamas

Remembering this makes me think of another first mom date,
involving a different kind of virgin. In the book of Luke, after the
angel Gabriel informed Mary that God would make her pregnant,
he didnt leave her to wrestle with the ramifications of that disclosure all by her lonesome. Right after telling her she was going
to have Gods baby, he shared that her relative Elizabeth was six
months pregnant. Gabriel acted as a mom-dating matchmaker,
getting these two unlikely miracle mamas together for some
God-ordained support.
Mary hurried to Elizabeths house in the hill country, and as
she greeted Elizabeth, the Bible says this is what happened:
When Elizabeth heard Marys greeting, the baby leaped in
her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In
a loud voice she exclaimed: Blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the
sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb
leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord
would fulfill his promises to her!
Luke 1:4145

The first playdate of the New Testament commenced, and

these girls walked through pregnancy together for three months.
If that isnt a home run of a mom date, I dont know what is.
These two unexpected mamas found each other. Mary was a
teenage virgin knocked up by the Holy Spirit getting the stink
eye from society and Elizabeth was an infertile old woman finding herself pregnant when others her age were well into empty
nesting. There was nothing typical about these girls, and they
shared nothing in common with most of the other mothers
around them.
Maybe your age or your job or your marriage, or lack thereof,
puts you in the margins of typical motherhood. All of us come
to motherhood by different paths and choose different methods.
Some things we choose and some are chosen for us.

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30 || First Base
If youre on the edges, if you feel like you dont fit into the traditional view of motherhood or didnt come by it the traditional
way, you are welcome here. Ive always felt too infertile, too doing
it the wrong way. From the decision to invite scientists into my
womb to our pursuit of adoptions, Ive experienced everything
from ginger disdain to blatant reproof. If you feel like youre
hanging onto the edge of motherhood and not so sure about the
whole club, Im with you, Im for you, and you are sooo welcome
here.

Notes
1. When Harry Met Sally, directed by Rob Reiner, MGM, 1989.

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||

Chapter 5

||

Trolling for Moms

Harriet Michaels: What do you look for in a woman you
date?
Charlie Mackenzie: Well, I know everyone always says
sense of humor, but Id really have to go with breast size.
From So I Married an Axe Murderer1

If you could pick your ideal friends, whom would you choose?
Would they be exactly like you or really different?
I have a diverse group of friends, and I love having people
from different backgrounds and with different passions and personalities around me. There are a few things that I look for in my
closest friends, though. Im drawn to those mamas who let me be
me, who laugh at my jokes, who share deeply, and who are a little
what I like to call scary-intense.
I want someone whos going to go ballistic over kids without
food, stuck in orphanages, or held in slavery. I want someone
whos going to get in my face if Im out of line and hold up my
arms when Im tired of fighting for justice. I want someone who
31

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32 || First Base
cackles and speaks truth and is either a total geek or glad I am. I
want a mama who will tell me what I need to hear, not just what
I want to hear. And through all that scary intensity, I want her to
love me.
So for you, who are your people? If youre looking for moms
with whom you can go running, lets get you out on trails chatting up girls about their jogging strollers. Do you love baking
brownies? Lets find you a friend who loves eating brownies. Do
you struggle with confidence? You need a friend who excels at
encouragement.
Finding friends also means learning how to be a good friend,
so were also working on our own stuff too. As we seek to encourage and support the moms around us, we become exactly the kind
of friend we want to have.
Where are you going to find
Via Twitter @UnexpectedMel
your people? The library for story
Well Im off to play dolltime, a mommy and me class,
house w/my 3yo, the game
the preschool pickup line, a young
where time stops and I
think Ive been playing for
moms group at a church, or the
an hour but really its been
sidelines at a soccer game. Moms
4 minutes.
are everywhere, and most of us are
a little bit lonely and starved for
adult conversation. If you work outside of the home, you may
spend time with other adults professionally, but you still need
other moms to talk to. Stay-at-home moms just need people to
talk to, period.
My favorite relationships are the ones that start out bonding
over our kids but transition to talking about books were reading,
our thoughts on different issues, or just straight up laughter about
something absurd. I love coming together with other women over
coffee to solve the worlds problems while a few feet away, our
children learn how to share. My girlfriends make me a better
mom, a better friend, a better wife, just ... better.
Id met Martha through another friend and really liked her. She
was pregnant with her fourth child and looked like a supermodel.

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Trolling for Moms || 33

No, seriously. Picture the hottest pregnant chick youve ever seen.
She was always draped in something fabulous, and her third trimester looked better than my six months postpartum.
One day I was crying about my dog, and I needed a friend. I
should mention that at this point Martha was a cat person. But
something made me call her and invite myself over. She is gracious and kind and makes hospitality look effortless, so I rang her
doorbell.
I quickly learned that even though she had four kids, Martha
was a voracious reader who had delightful opinions about everything and was going to change the world. As I got to know her, the
phrase just a mom catapulted out of my head never to return.
I drove back to her house again and again, and she helped me
decorate my messy new place. We talked of books and writing and
faith and events and ideas. She showed me that as a mom I can still
take interest in other things besides my kids. Isnt that a relief.
We have different friends for different aspects of our personalities. I have my sci-fi-loving friends for movie watching. These
are my get my references friends. And I have the friends I call
when Im cracking down the center and need someone to pray for
my brain.
So, figure out who your people are, then start trolling.
The first time I met one of my favorite moms was at church.
I was working in the three-year-old room and this mom
would come pick up her daughter, and wed say hi at those
weekly interactions. Then at a mutual friends party we got
to talking and I really liked her. She was funny and outgoing,
which meant I didnt have to talk as muchjust the way I
like it. One of the first things that stood out, though, was her
obsession with our heights. I am 52 on a good day. Shes
probably 51. She walked right up to me and asked me who
I thought was taller while standing in her three inch wedges
and craning her neck for length. I was standing in my flats

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34 || First Base

and laughing because who says this to a stranger? I made her

slide her cheating shoes off and we stood back-to-back while
our husbands confirmed that I am indeed taller. And then she
went into a diatribe about how she didnt feel like she looked
shorter and we were probably really the same height and I
couldnt possibly be that much taller. Now that I know her
better, it cracks me up that she put so much thought into it
and occasionally still makes me stand back-to-back with her to
see if anything has changed.Kim T.

Where to Look
Youve just had a baby. Or youve moved to a new town. Perhaps youve been going it alone for a while and now youre looking
to try out this mom dating thing. Whatever the reason, youre on
the prowl for a friend. Where do you look?
Moving to a new state as a new mom felt daunting. Not only
was I a new mom, but I was a new Southerner too. From burp
cloths to sweet tea, everything
was new. When my leaky boobs
Via Twitter @UnexpectedMel
and I actually made it out of the
Today I got everybody
house with my little projectile-
ready for the pool, headed
that way, only to discover
spit-upping pumpkin, I didnt
that Id forgotten to put my
know where to look for friends, but
bathing suit on under my
I knew I needed some more, and
cover-up.
my mommy couldnt help me with
all of them.
I found myself stalking other moms in the drop-off line of
the church nursery. Here was an entire line of mamas schlepping
two-ton diaper bags, wiping rash cream off the hems of their
skirts. While we bounced our whimpering babes up and down,
I chatted them up about nap schedules and how the hour in the
church service now felt like a date night with my husband.
Weve just moved again, locally, and I find myself back in that

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Trolling for Moms || 35

place of introducing myself again and again to the other mamas
around the neighborhood. This summer at the pool, feeling overexposed in my swimsuit but determined to meet the neighbors, I
walked from chair to chair, waving like a five-year-old and saying,
Hi! Im Melanie. Im new. Not the most creative pickup line but
usually effective.
When youre a mom, the neighborhood bus stop feels like the
new techno club, except without the cover of strobe lights and
fog machines. Its completely intimidating to walk up to a group
of moms and introduce yourself. I like to pick off the loners on
the edges of groups first, then work my way in to meet everyone.
Music and art classes for small children are another surefire
way to meet other people in the same stage of life, and its an easy
segue to invite them out for lunch after the class. Im grateful to
the moms who invited me for playdates when I was the newbie,
and I try to pay it forward now when I meet new moms.
Just as I felt like my circle of friends was set, our family created another department in our lives ... homeschooling. This
past fall I began homeschooling my daughter. It has opened a
whole new world of friendship possibilities. Everyone we have
met through our homeschool group is so gracious and kind.
The first day we met as a class I was drawn to a mom who was
new to homeschooling like me. We were in the same boat
and able to share stories and challenges about homeschool
life! Turns out her son and my daughter sit next to each other
in class and have become fast friends. As we juggle our new
routine, pace ourselves to get schoolwork done, and still
keep up with our old friends, I am reminded that making new
friends is a slow and awkward process.Julie P.

Dont be afraid to set people up. One friend invited me over

with a few people and introduced me to someone whos now one
of my closest friends. Im not making this up; it was like, Hey,

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36 || First Base
youre infertile and just had a baby through in vitro. This is your
new friend. Shes infertile, too, and adopted a child. Youre both
crazy loudmouths with a ridiculous amount of passion about a
number of subjects. Discuss your endometriosis and laparoscopies. Go. In a completely nonawkward way. And now she and I
are fourth-basers. Badabing, badaboom.
If you experience an awkward crash and burn, dont panic.
I have been there. My son doesnt quite understand boundaries
with neighbors or pick up on social cues. One time we went for
a walk and he found some friends. He immediately ran up and
started playing in their front yard, and since the parents were
outside, I tried to strike up a conversation. As I asked question
after question, received one-word replies, no questions back, and
the other kids stood in their yard like Children of the Corn and
stared at my son, I realized that either these people were not in
the market for new friends or theyd just told their kids that Santa
wasnt real. I sweetly called for Elliott as he was helping himself
to the toys in their garage and he walked quizzically toward me.
I backed away slowly, smiling and giving a courtesy wave. Okay,
well, soooo great to meet you guyzzz ...
Small talk is hard, but it doesnt have to be 100 percent miserable, so we should probably talk about that now.

Notes
1. So I Married an Axe Murderer, directed by Tommy Schlamme, TriStar
Pictures, 1993.

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||

Chapter 6

||

Small Talk for

Small-Talk Haters
Inigo Montoya: I do not mean to pry, but you dont by any
chance happen to have six fingers on your right hand?
Man in Black: Do you always begin conversations this way?
From The Princess Bride1

When youre trolling for moms, you practice pickup lines, but
instead of Heaven just lost an angel, you try Your kids are so
sweet, I love your workout skort, or Nice Moby wrap.
Have you ever tried to befriend another mom only to have it
die an awkward little death? Just me? My kids were all born on different continents, so my strikeouts usually go something like this:
Me:

Hi, Im Melanie. Im new here. Have you been coming here

long?
Other

Oh, hi, Im OM. Yeah, weve been doing this for a while
Mom
(OM): (indicates many other friends nearby).
Me: Oh, cool. Which kids are yours?
37

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38 || First Base
OM: Penelope over there. Who are your kids?
Me: Those three over there.
OM: Are they all three yours?
Me: Yep!
OM: I mean, are they all your own?
Me: Uh-huh. I own them all.
OM: I mean, are they your real kids?
Me: Yes. They are all real. No blow-up dolls in the bunch.
OM: The two oldest are yours and wheres the youngest one
from?
Me: Two of them are adopted and one was created in a lab.
OM: Um ...
Me: The oldest one, with hair identical to mine, is adopted
from Latvia and our newest child, oldest and newest, haha.
The middle child, with blond hair and blue eyes who looks
nothing like me, is biologically related to me. The youngest
one is adopted from Ethiopia.
OM: Ohhhhh. My brother-in-law went on a mission trip one
time ... ohhhh ... I forget where ... Nicaragua.
Me: Okay, well, it was really nice to meet you!
And Im a total geek, so sometimes this happens:
Me: Hi! Im Melanie! Im new!
OM: Hi, Melanie. Im not new.
Me: Whats your daughters name?
OM: Buffy.
Me: The Vampire Slayer?! Thats amazing! Ahhhh! I love that
show! I have every episode on DVD. Most amazing writing
EVER. Joss Whedon is completely brilliant. Oh! (clap clap
clap) Its so great to meet another Whedonite!
OM: Shes named after my husbands grandmother. Ive never
seen that show. Isnt it about demons?
Me: Um, yeah, pray for me?
OM: Okay, well, it was really nice to meet you!
Awkward small talk that fails to gain traction is enough to
make you never want to leave the house. Or at least keep your

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Small Talk for Small-Talk Haters || 39

nose buried in your smartphone while you wait for Baby Obiwan
to finish up at Soccer Tots.
Im one of those closet introverts posing as an extrovert. You
know what I mean? When I tell people Im an introvert, they
spray spit on my face with the force of their exuberant guffaws.
The girl snort-laugh jazz-handing in the middle of the crowded
room is an introvert? Please.
Okay, so maybe Im a borderVia Twitter @UnexpectedMel
line introvert. I love people oh
Okay people, we are wayyy
so much, but I fill up in my little
too timely in the car pool
closet all by my lonesomeno
pickup line for preschool.
Can we all agree now that
talkie, just writey. On planes, I try
10 minutes late is the new
not to make eye contact or so much
On Time?
as tap the elbow rest with my arm
for fear Ill have to chat (unless the
crossword in my airline magazine is already worked, and then Im
organizing a plane-wide search for a fresh one).
The same is true for those first-base moments. When my kids
are at practices, events, school functions, or birthday parties, I
hunker down inside myself.
If Im waiting for them, I bring my iPad and guzzle down
whatever book Ive been digesting. We mamas know how fast
those waiting moments go. I see all of us reading our phones,
Kindles, iPads, and actual books (ah, my love of actual books ...)
during these precious minutes to ourselves.

Drop the iPad and Just Hang Out

Well, lately Ive thought a lot about dating other momsand
realize now just how many of us struggle with first base. So one
day while my kids were in their swimming lessons, I left my iPad
in my upcycled flour sack/purse and hung out with the other
moms in the room.
Im not going to lie. A few moments of silence made me ogle
my dormant tablet, but I just sat, and then this beautiful thing

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40 || First Base
happened. We started talking, sharing kids names and our
names. We rooted for each others kids in the pool. We talked
lack-of-nap times, food allergy issues, and girls versus boys when
it comes to attitude shenanigans.
First-base stuff. Nothing world changing. Or is it?

When mamas who shape the future start sharing

and laughing ... isnt that world changing?
When mamas who shape the future start sharing and laughing ... isnt that world changing? When the daily stress of the
schedules and tantrums and budgets slides off our shoulders and
onto the pool-water-soaked floor, that changes our world. Sharing experiences from our unique perspectives creates camaraderie in our overlapping lives. We make music in the rhythm of
motherhood.
On first base. This is where it starts. This is where we gather
the strength and resolve to laugh off our heavy burdens and agree
to do it again tomorrow.
Maybe small talk isnt really small.
We need each other so much. Motherhood is meant to be
shared. Im sure of it.
I will continue to carry around my beloved iPad. (*Disclaimer:
No iPads were harmed in the writing of this book. My tablet with
its happy pink cover is smiling supportively at me on my desk.
Long live technology.) But I am falling head over heels in deep,
deep love with the mamas in my life, these precious girls who
know more than I do about so much.
We share so many of the same pressures, insecurities, and
frustrations, and doing just that,sharing them, somehow diffuses
the power these worries have over us. Theres fellowship in frustration. When one mom is upset with her button-pushing toddler,
I know that frazzled feeling. And its such a relief when we find
out were not alone. Were not alone! When we lower our guard,
reach out, and say, Ive been there, we acknowledge and kindle
the sisterhood of motherhood. (See what I did there? Kinnndlllle.)

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Small Talk for Small-Talk Haters || 41

Have you ever met someone who loves small talk? I meet so
many people who hate small talk. I hate small talk. Small talk is
boring and awkward. I dont think
anybody really likes it, but we have
Via Twitter @UnexpectedMel
to soldier through to get to the
Do u ever feel the weight
protein-packed tempeh of the
of everything u have to
relationship.
do come crashing on u &
First base is where we lift our
u just walk around like a
zombie & pick things up &
eyes off our own mess long enough
set them down?
to smile at the mama across from
us. First base is small talk and
encouragement and finding common ground. Its discovering
were on Team Mom together. And if were on the same team,
then that makes us teammates.

The Mama Booty Pat

Athletes have the little booty pat that we see happening on the
sidelines. It conveys Youre doing a great job, Were on the same
team, and Go get em, tiger.
We need a booty pat for momVia Twitter @UnexpectedMel
mies.2 What can I do when I see
Im wearing a pajama
you at Target and your daughter is
top to the store. In my
waving her sass around and I can
defense, its a really nice
jammie top.
tell youre frustrated but youre
handling it like a champ? Booty pat.
Okay, but notbecause even I think thats crossing a line.
Maybe Ill just settle for telling you.
Hey, mama. Youre doing a great job. I got my own crazy going on
in my cart right here. We had a meltdown in the Chapstick aisle the
likes of which this store, this entire franchise, has never seen. But
were holding the line, soldiering on, and were doing good work.

Moms need to hear that were doing a good job. We dont get
performance reviews for motherhood. We hear all kinds of judgment from everyone, from our kids to the internet. Where are we
going to hear encouragement if not from each other?

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WOMEN ARE SCARY

The Totally Awkward Adventure of Finding
Mom Friends
By Melanie Dale
When you show up at the park for the first time with your little
ones spilling out of the van, scan the swing set for anyone you
might recognize, and notice that all the other moms are
already hanging out in pairs, you realize that your awkward
adventure of finding mom friends has only just begun. Too
many women are frazzled and lonely, isolated in their
minivans while schlepping bags, strollers, and munchkins to
and fro across town. It doesnt have to be this way.
In this hilarious yet thought-provoking guide to
momlationships, blogger Melanie Dale uses a dating
analogy to help women get more intentional about bonding
with each other.
We are better together, she writes. We make each other
better moms, better humans. We need each other, because
mothering is just too darn hard. Moms will discover how to
make sure their kids aren't the only ones having fun, develop
lifelong friendships, share their burdens, and join together to
impact communities around the world.

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