The story I always come back to starts in a public bathroom. I’m on the toilet—pants down, toddler in the room with me—when she grabs a urinal cake out of the urinal. I’m helpless, stuck, trying to wave her down like some kind of frantic goalie. Thankfully, she drops it before things get worse. I walk out, a little shaken, and tell the other moms what just happened. Their response? A shrug and a laugh: “Eh, hands are washable. At least she didn’t stick it in her mouth.”

And honestly, that about sums up parenting. Half the time, you’re out of control. The other half, you’re realizing you desperately need people around you who understand just how chaotic (and funny, and overwhelming) this all is. That’s where the North Austin Family Network comes in.

When we first started meeting up, it wasn’t fancy. A couple of moms at a brewery, a few families letting kids chase each other around a park. But something happened: people kept coming back. It wasn’t about the playground or the splash pad. It was about finally having someone to text when your toddler refuses shoes or to laugh with when your baby eats dirt (again).

Now, the group has grown, but the heart hasn’t changed. Parents still show up for each other in simple ways—bringing snacks to share, offering to watch a toddler if a baby decides to arrive early, or just sitting together in the chaos and saying, yep, me too. Our kids are making best friends, and honestly, so are we.

Community matters because parenting can be lonely. But it doesn’t have to be. NAFN is proof that with the right people around you, the hard days feel a little easier and the good days feel even better.