The benefits of being best friends with your mum

When I speak to people about my relationship with my mum they think it’s weird that we’re so close, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. She’s the first person I want to call whenever anything happens in my life and always comes through.

My mum is literally an older version of me, which means that she knows best how to deal with my drama. When I get stressed, most friends will end up accidentally winding me up and making me worry more, meanwhile one phone call home sorts me out and puts my problems into perspective. She makes me realise how futile it is to cry over a bad grade, or a mean boy. She helps me wipe the tears away, get a grip and move on to a new, better chapter of my life.

We have loads in common

If you think this isn’t the case with your mum, you probably just haven’t figured out what that thing that you both love is yet: that hobby or interest that you take for granted that you can do with your mum. If you think you two are too different, it probably means you’re so similar that you disagree on things. I used to be like that with my old lady, until I realised that the reason why we argue so much is because we’re so similar. I was wasting the opportunity to have an amazing friendship. Trust me, when you work things out and become besties, you’ll be wishing you’d realised sooner and hadn’t sulked through your teenage years being a bitch to the woman that birthed you.

Our mums know us better than we know ourselves

I mean, they used to be us. So they know what advice to give, which friends we can trust, which boys we should avoid, even stuff like what birth control to use. They know it all. This does of course mean that they know exactly how to wind us up when we’re having an argument, but that’s a small price to pay.

Being able to borrow their clothes is such a blessing

If, like me, you’re lucky enough to have a sassy fashionista mum who wears the same size as you, then you’ll know that being close makes your life a thousand times better. I borrow my mums dresses for every formal event I go to, and basically live in her vintage sportswear the rest of the time. Once she even gave me her brand new jeans because she said they looked better on me. Now that’s friendship.

I always have someone who cares about my problems

Well, if she doesn’t then she’s really good at pretending she does. My mum and I spend hours on the phone discussing the boring (and sometimes not-so-boring) details of my love life, which means that I always have expert advice on how to hold onto the keepers, and how to ditch the fuckboys. She refers to the various boys I get involved with as “the flock”, and even has a nickname for each of them (this can come in handy when I want to discuss them on the phone with my mum when they’re present).

We have amazing nights out

My mum always takes me out for dinner, to the cinema, to see plays, we even go to gigs together. Before I left home for uni she treated me and took me to see two plays in one day, because she’s a babe and who doesn’t love a matinee?

We have amazing nights in

Not only is my bestie an incredible cook, we’re a great kitchen team and make the best meals together. We’re also good at drinking wine and watching Made in Chelsea together, much to my dad’s annoyance. There is no one better to watch MiC with, the bitching is relentless. When I’m away at uni I have to call her to discuss each week’s episode, why don’t any of my other friends care quite as much as we do?

So take my advice, girls. There is no better friend for you in the whole world than your mother. She’ll support you through all your highs and lows, and knows you better than anyone. Just open your mind to the possibility that your mum isn’t the lamest and most embarrassing person in the whole world. I did, and it’s the best friendship I’ve ever had.