Becoming Mama Jen

I’ll admit it. I am the “Mom” of most groups I am apart of. Student Government, my Athletic Training class, AOII, and groups of friends. My nickname has become “Mama Jen.” Here are the signs that I have picked up on when becoming Mama Jen.

• Whenever I am out with a group of friends, I am always the first person everybody comes to when they need anything: Advil, a tampon, Tums, chapstick, tissues, gum, life advice, etc. And whatever it is that they need, I usually always have it. When I carried a bigger purse, it actually put Mary Poppins bag to shame.
• I can’t count the number of times that I have been asked alcohol advice or how many times I have been the one to hold someone’s hair back at a party. Sometimes I know the person…sometimes I don’t. And on the rare occasion that I am the drunkest one at the party, all hell breaks loose and nobody even knows what to do with themselves…I still take on the Mom role while chugging a beer. 
• I am usually the one yelling at friends in the car if they’re texting while driving or not wearing their seat belts. And I feel zero percent bad about it. 
• On more than one occasion, I have received a birthday card from a few friends that says “Mom” on the front and I loved it! I have also received “Happy Mother’s Day” texts from friends before. 
• My friends tell me on a consistent basis that if it wasn’t for me, they’d probably be in jail or not knowing what to do with their life. It’s cool. 
• The greatest thing is when people want to introduce their significant others to me and they get reallllly nervous. And when I do meet them, I always have to work really hard to make sure it’s just a conversation and not an interrogation. 
• Regardless of how much or how little medical knowledge people know I have, I am always the one that everybody poses their questions to: Can I take Tylenol if I’m going to drink tonight? Is this bug bite anything to worry about? What do I do if I missed a birth control pill?
• The life advice is my favorite. People always come to me for advice and I LOVE IT! I always want to help people all the time! It really is special to me. 

I may complain about being The Mom sometimes, but for the most part, I love it. Taking care of people and keeping everyone happy is in my nature, so if that means I am the designated MomFriend, then I guess that makes me Mama Jen.