The female bond

(My other playful title was "Why do females flock to the bathroom at the same time?")

Last year, my girlfriends and I organised an amazing night for a girlfriend who was about to tie the knot.  We stayed overnight at a hotel in the city and whiled the night away in a cruise ship with "Studs Afloat". We dined, danced, giggled and swapped tales.  We were teenagers once again.

This year, the last single girlfriend is about to wed. What could possibly top last year's Hens' Night? We searched the internet high and low. We planned, we held secret meetings, we voted and we saved. It was five months in the making. For a moment there, I thought we were never going to find an event that will surpass shirtless waiters.

Then we stumbled upon "The Artful Hen".

We were not disappointed. Suffice it to say, it was tasteful and it was a night that will remain forever etched in our memories.

But what makes these small getaways special to me is about being with my female friends. Something magical happens when we are together. For me, it is a release from my daily grind of being a wife and a mother (yes, it can take its toll, to be honest). We dress up and we disappear into the night. We stay up late and we sleep in. These are things that I never get to do anymore. It's about sharing my intimate thoughts with no fear of being judged. It's a true getaway of the mind and body. It's like someone restarted my processors, giving me fresh energy to go back to my family with renewed vigour. The ideas that we bounce off each other are exhilarating. We all go home to our husbands revitalised.

I have multiple circles of beautiful people around me. I have mum-friends,  friends with no kids, single friends, work friends, life friends from college and from previous jobs. Thanks to Facebook, I also found long lost friends and have renewed ties with them.

Each of my female friend is important in their own little way. Every relationship is unique and has its own level and space to feed a particular need. For example, I can only truly share my issues about my special needs son to another special needs mum!

My children define me; my husband completes me; and my female friends? Well ... they fuel me!