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It seems like just yesterday that Linda Wilkes and I, as new mothers, met for the first time.

It was almost 19 years ago.

Recently, the kids and I met Wilkes and her daughter, Ashley, late in the afternoon at Panera Bread on Wendover Avenue. We hadn’t seen one another in a while and hoped to get together before Ashley went away to college later this summer.

I met Linda Wilkes at “mommy classes” facilitated by Wesley Long Hospital.

There were six meetings, each with a specific purpose geared toward new mommies and the challenges they faced on a daily basis. The weekly outings were good for us — a time to get out of the house and meet other mothers.

One week, I sat down beside another new mom.
“Hi, my name is Linda,” I said.

“Hi, my name is Linda,” she replied.

We both had baby girls — hers born Aug. 1, mine on Aug. 2. We enjoyed some general conversations about being new moms and our little babies before the session began.

As we experienced the newness of young motherhood, it was nice to connect with another mom going through the same thing. For a couple of weeks thereafter we sat next to one another, finding various things in common as we talked.

After the classes ended, I did not see the other Linda again until our babies were about 18 months old.

As we reconnected, we decided to try to set up a play date so we could get to know each other better while our girls played. Our standing Monday morning play dates were born.

We alternated houses, and the kids would eat lunch together at the end of their morning of play.

Our girls played great together, never fighting, but always finding something fun to entertain themselves with as they sorted through one another’s toys.

When Christopher, my son, was born shortly before the girls turned 2, he was thrown into the Monday morning play date mix. When he was old enough to play, the girls welcomed him into their fun without missing a beat. They were three peas in a pod whenever they got together.

As they grew, we enjoyed outings at various pools and parks around the county. Sometimes we’d gather to take the kids out for lunch as we splurged on a special gathering.

They attended each other’s birthdays in the early years, later giving way to special times when we’d gather to celebrate in just our small group.

We sometimes got the dads involved as we invited each other over for dinner. It was fun to entertain each other’s family as we enjoyed a meal and conversation among friends. The kids always enjoyed the extra time to play with each other on these nights.

We moms even took a couple of weekend trips to the mountains together for “mommy getaways.” It was nice to have a break from the routine with a dear friend who enjoyed many of the same things I did. (And nicer still that both of us had supportive husbands willing to hold down the fort alone in our absence.)

We’ve enjoyed these special friends as our kids have grown quickly right before our eyes, and we’ve stood by each other in sorrows that have touched each of us in different ways.

As the kids grew and began school, the Monday morning play dates mostly fell by the wayside. Various other activities limited time we could gather just to play. We made the most of the time when it did work out, especially in the summer months.

Our kids described to Ashley how they learned as home-schoolers, and Ashley took them on a mini tour of her school when she started elementary school.

In recent years, it has been hard to get together, as life with teenagers is busy at times. Sometimes we Lindas will get together for lunch by ourselves, sharing stories about what is going on with one another and our ever-growing kids.

Long gone are the play dates filled with Play-doh, Polly Pockets and peanut butter-and-jelly sandwiches. In their place are good memories and new beginnings as we watch our children go in various directions into the world as adults.

Linda Vestal is a wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend living in Gibsonville. Contact her with comments or story ideas at lindavestal@triad.rr.com.