Why Girls Need Girlfriends

Girls need girlfriends because their husbands just don't cut it. Not in a bad way, they can be AWESOME husbands, but they just aren't able to fill the girlfriend void. We want to be best friends with our spouses and tell them EVERYTHING, but the reality is that while we don't keep secrets we don't have to try and discuss every topic with them.

During our first year of marriage I learned a lot about talking to a boy vs talking to a girl. BIG difference. I love Kent. I can talk to him about anything. Whether or not he enjoys the conversation is another story. So I learned quickly that he didn't want the gossipy, juicy details about my day at work, a simple grunt and "ok" would be a perfect answer to his, "How was your day?"


There was one particular instance that really defined this "girlfriend" thing for me. I was talking to Kent about some other girl I knew (and liked, maybe even loved), but I was conveying a truth that was perhaps unkind. I even prefaced the comment with, "I know this is so mean, but..." and finished up with an "I should feel bad for saying that." Now, ladies, we all know that whenever someone finishes like that it is our job as the listener to promptly follow up with an "I know, but the truth hurts sometimes" or an "I know, but you have to be honest with yourself." You know, something that makes the other person feel like less of a jerk. Here is what Kent responded with:


"Wow Mel, that is mean. You probably should feel bad."


Uhhh....


To which I responded, "Kent, you're not a very good girlfriend." He didn't understand what I meant, but of course he didn't! He has no experience as a girlfriend! But moments like that have taught me to save certain comments/conversations for my girlfriends and not my best friend of a husband.

One other key difference is that girls like to get together. We like to hang out and talk, possibly for hours. Whenever I come home from hanging out with my friend Lauren, or really any girlfriend, the following conversation almost always takes place:


Kent: What did you guys do?

Mel: Hung out, talked.

K: Talked? For 2 hours? About what?


The answer is anything and everything, my friend.


One thing I love is how womens' conversations just flow from one subject to the next. Topics that don't seem related when listed out individually somehow find themselves side-by-side in a girl's conversation. Have you ever caught yourself in the middle of a conversation and wondered, "How did we get on this topic?" I've actually attempted to trace my way back through the conversation to the beginning - try it sometime, it's fun. It's really no wonder why men look so confused if they are ever stuck surrounded by Chatty Cathys - they can't follow the train of thought.


And finally, I need girlfriends because they are just as crazy as I am. Girls, embrace it. We women are crazy. It's just how we're built. That's why we need Girls Night Out or Ladies Who Lunch. After you've been spending lots of quality time with your main man, who is logical, unemotional, and simple, you start to feel really ridiculous. Like maybe you are the craziest person in the world. So then you turn to your lady friends, spend a little time with the girls, and you realize, "I'm not crazy, I'm normal!" And then you can make it through another week without ripping your poor, loving husband's head off.