“Wait, are you replacing me!?”

It’s a question I asked my friend as she told me about making new mom friends as she gets ready to expand her family.

The question was mostly a joke, but it came from a deep place of personal insecurity. My husband and I don’t have kids, and I suddenly became nervous that I wouldn’t fit into her life anymore when she becomes pregnant.

She calmed my fears because that’s what good friends do and reminded me that while she’ll need mom friends, she’ll never stop needing me.

While it’s amazing to have friends who intimately get what we’re going through, there’s something that every season of life brings to the table.

If you’re childless by choice or because of circumstances, don’t count yourself out. You are the gift of a shame-free listening ear when parenthood becomes too much.

If you’re single or not in the relationship you want to be in right now, don’t count yourself out. You make everyone around you feel brave, even on the days when you don’t feel it.

If you’re in the midst of chaotic newborn feeding schedules and toddler temper tantrums, don’t count yourself out. You are our source of inspiration when our own chaos threatens to claim us.

If your children are grown and out of the house, don’t count yourself out. Your perspective is a literal treasure when we can’t see through our current mess.

If you’re caring for an aging parent or a sick loved one, don’t count yourself out. You make us feel strong enough to face our day-to-day battles.

If you are drowning in grief, don’t count yourself out. You allow us to feel more deeply and remind us to be reckless in our love.

There is a you-shaped hole in our hearts that can’t be filled by anyone else. And even if you’re in a season that you never would’ve chosen for yourself, you are something to somebody. We need you. Don’t count yourself out.