Calling your kids your best friends?

[Anonymous]

Friend is divorced and will post pictures of herself with her kids saying “took my best friends to Old Dominion”, etc…..I think it is weird

[Anonymous]

I agree, and feel the same when people their mom is their best friend.

A good relationship is wonderful, but best friend? Weird.

[Anonymous]

Yes it is weird and IMO indicates a dysfunction. My personality-disordered ex friend's dds often post on social media about their mom being their best friend. Most dysfunctional person/family I know.

[Anonymous]

It's not weird- a lot of people do it. It's just not for me.

[Anonymous]

Not weird, just unusual. Are you this judgmental irl?

[Anonymous]

I call my 5 year old my best friend. It makes him feel important. I don’t tell him it’s not true—he certainly doesn’t relate to me as a peer nor does he have my life experience. I don’t say it in front of other people (except my DH—again, it makes the 5 year old feel important “I’m mommy’s best friend!), I don’t have social media, and I can’t imagine saying it when he’s 10. For now, he’s little. It’s not a big deal.

[Anonymous]

Divorced parent who calls her young kid her best friend. It’s just us. And we hang out and have fun. I obviously don’t share my hopes and dreams with him, but we hang out and go on outings. It’s mostly a joke. OP, why do you care if a single parent is close to their kid?

[Anonymous]

I don't think lying about it is great. But if it's true, it's OK.
Beware of putting too much on your kid's shoulders, though.

[Anonymous]

I don't think about it like that, but I have to admit that sometimes, my teen daughter and I have a bond of mutual non-verbal understanding that it entirely lacking between my husband or my son, who are both on the spectrum, albeit high-functioning. They don't get non-verbal cues. With them, you can't do a little flash of eye contact and transmit slivers of intelligence. With my daughter, I can. It's a great relief to have at least one person in my family like this.

So in that sense, she's my best friend. But I would never say that out loud, or write it out except anonymously. Because of course we also have a parent-child relationship.

[Anonymous]

That’s not for me and that’s okay. You do you!

My 5yo—when she gets mad—will say to me, “ Well then you’re not my friend anymore!” I remind her that I am not her friend—I’m her mom—and that I will love her forever no matter if she is mad at me or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't think about it like that, but I have to admit that sometimes, my teen daughter and I have a bond of mutual non-verbal understanding that it entirely lacking between my husband or my son, who are both on the spectrum, albeit high-functioning. They don't get non-verbal cues. With them, you can't do a little flash of eye contact and transmit slivers of intelligence. With my daughter, I can. It's a great relief to have at least one person in my family like this.

So in that sense, she's my best friend. But I would never say that out loud, or write it out except anonymously. Because of course we also have a parent-child relationship.

I'm sad about your casual dismissal of connecting with your child just because they have a different way of communicating.


My best friend doesn't even live in the same state of me. Winking isn't what makes someone a best friend.

[Anonymous]

I can only assume they don't have a dog.

[Anonymous]

Is this Facebook?

Her kids are probably not on Facebook and neither are their friends. They probably don't care what their mom posts.

[Anonymous]

Your family members are friends for life, so in some sense they are among the best at being your friend by virtue of lasting so long on the job.

[Anonymous]

Our kids are all adults and probably ARE my best friends.