How You Know You’ve Found The Thelma To Your Louise

There’s one thing that every woman needs: her ride-or-die friend. She’s the one friend you call first about everything. You can tell her your secrets, and she’ll always have your back.

Guess what? The need for this triples once you’re a mom. So unless you’re lucky enough to have kids when your friends do, it’s time to start recruiting new mom friends. Because real talk: There will be a day when you’ll need them. If you find yourself hiding in the bathroom with your phone, it’s your mom bestie who will come to the rescue. She’ll take your kids for a couple hours so you can take a shower and go get coffee — because if you don’t, you might lose your mind. So here’s how to know you’ve found the Thelma to your Louise.

She’s The First One You Call

Whether it’s your baby’s first steps or the fact that your spouse ate all your ice cream, she’s the one you call. She’s the first person you text about everything. You know she’s the real mom friend deal when she sends you the absolute perfect GIF that makes you LOL. Best of all? She might even pick up the phone and give you a call.

She’s The Only One You’ll Let See You At Your Literal And Figurative Worst

It’s hard to have friends over when you’re new at being a mom. Being sleep-deprived means it’s probably a bit of a struggle to manage basic self-care. Entertaining guests while wearing clothes covered in a variety of kid-related stains is not fun. But if you’re happy to have a friend over no matter the state of your hair or your kitchen, that’s a ride-or-die friend to keep.

She Has All Your Passwords

If you haven’t picked your “if I get hit by a bus, please delete my old tumblrs” friend yet, get on that. She’s the one you can trust to go ahead and take care of all your social media accounts and blogs. She’ll also clear your browser history — and those (maybe just a little bit iffy) direct messages to your ex from college — before your family sees all of it. Trust us: This is one area to plan ahead for sure.

You Can Have An Argument But Work It Out

Your bestie relationship is a lot like a marriage. Arguments happen, but you’re invested and committed enough in the relationship that you’re willing to get past it. So if you’d rather walk away from a friend than try to work it out, they are not the bestie for you. A real ride-or-die friend always comes back to the friendship. No matter what. You mean that much to each other.

She Will Call You Out When You Need A Reality Check

Sometimes our complaining can get a bit annoying and, well, circular — like when you complain but don’t feel any better after complaining. It takes that friend of yours to come over, wave her hand in your face, and say, SNAP OUT OF IT. She’s here to remind you that you have so much to be grateful for and that you need to just get over it already.

She Will Help You Move A Body

Researcher Brené Brown said, “When we’re looking for compassion, we need someone who is deeply rooted, is able to bend and, most of all, embraces us for our strengths and struggles. We need to honor our struggle by sharing it with someone who has earned the right to hear it. When we’re looking for compassion, it’s about connecting with the right person at the right time about the right issue. We need a move-a-body friend.” This is the friend who leaps to help you out of a bad situation without question or judgment. While that probably won’t mean actually moving a body, we still need a friend who would should the need arise.

In some ways, your mom bestie is kind of your soulmate. She’ll laugh at your toddler’s word salad but cheer on each milestone. She’ll take your kids off your hands for a bit if you just cannot take another minute without a break. Best of all, she’ll always be there through it all. Get you a mom bestie because you’re gonna need it.

Ready for some mom squad goals? Check out the premiere of NBC’s Good Girls February 26 so you can text your bestie later and say, “That’s so us.”

Christina Hendricks, Retta, and Mae Whitman star in “Good Girls,” the story of three best friends who decide to stop playing by the rules and take control of their lives — together.