Rebecca Eckler

As a single mother, I’ve really appreciated the support my girlfriends have given me over the past couple years. Like Carrie Bradshaw’s friends, they are always making me laugh and are happy to distract me by taking me to a movie or dinner. One of my best girlfriends, on a night when I was scheduled at a speaking engagement and my parents were out of town, gladly invited my daughter over for a sleepover, even though she has four children and it was a Sunday. Girlfriends are the best!

But I’ve also REALLY grown to appreciate male friends. Here’s a list of why I need men in my life and how male friends have helped me.

1. I looked up the other day to see water dripping from my kitchen ceiling. I stared at the water dripping…for twenty minutes. You may think I’m stupid, but I honestly had not a friggen clue what to do, or who to call. Bingo a male friend, a contractor, called someone on my behalf to fix the problem. I am a girlie-girl, I admit, and am just not good at problems that come along with home ownership. Thank you, male friend who knows how to calmly fix these things.

2. My brother (he’s a friend too) bought me a printer, because, again, I’m a total moron when it comes to all things technology. Thankfully, he isn’t. He bought me a printer – I get panicky in computer stores - and put it into my car after we had dinner at my parent’s. The printer itself isn’t big, but the box it came in was MASSIVE. Thankfully, a male friend and I were going out for dinner the next day. When he came to fetch me, he was more than happy to carry in the heavy/awkward box inside for me. Not only that, he also carried in the box with the humidifier, which was also too heavy for me to carry, and had been in my car for two weeks. Thank you brother and male friend who are strong.

3. I was dating a divorced man for a while. Nobody knows what goes on in a divorced man’s head, other than an actual divorced man. One of my best girlfriend’s husband, who I consider a friend too, is always more than happy to answer any questions I have about what goes on in a man’s head, divorced or not. When I say he’s been there to answer my email/phone questions, he has been. So thank you male divorced/remarried happily friend, for explaining things to me.

4. This one is not PG (but I am an adult and single so whatever) and you don’t need me to say the word that goes before “Buddy.” But I should give a shout out, though my parents may be reading this, to The Man who is always there for me, when I need some, um, fun and a movie. Thank you male friend for being, um, talented in bed? (And not expecting anything more than a silly movie.)

So, you see, I need a man to fix and carry things, explain boys, and to um, well, you know. I love my girlfriends, but, thankfully, I have male friends, too. You’ll be happy to know, I’m no longer afraid of filling my own gas tank, though recently my daughter’s father happily put windshield wiper fluid in my car. Still scared of that! Men are definitely good to have around, at least some of the time.