Bond Girls

Girl bonding—whether a long lunch, several hours of shopping, a night out or a weekend out of town—is a sure way to recharge oneself, a way to re-connect not just with the girls but also with the inner woman in you.

Married for six years and with a two-and-a-half year old toddler, I have always found comfort in every reunion with my girlfriends. I met them many years ago, when my sense of feminine power was at its strongest, when together we all felt we could take on the world and conquer, well, all men.

Time has changed all that. Indeed, I married one of them. So did most of my girlfriends. We found that men could actually be good for us. But no matter how great our men were, we always maintained that extra space, that extra time to be among us girls, all by ourselves.

When I look at my little girl, my mini-me, I can already see her forming her own bonding set in the not-so-distant future. And like the mother that I am, I see myself sharing with her my tips for the next generation of bond girls.

1. Count out friends who are too busy getting rich. They probably won't have time.

2. Find friends with good memory. It's always fun to reminisce.

3. Pick friends with a great sense of humor. Laughter, as they say, is still the best medicine.

4. Stick to friends who have a strong sense of self. It will rub off on you.

5. Surround yourself with friends who don't stop at getting more out of life. They will inspire you.

6. Choose husbands who appreciate and respect your womanhood. They surely won't mind the time you spend with the girls.

7. Keep husband bashing at a moderate level but never drop it altogether. It is healthy, really.

8. Don't turn girl bonding into an opportunity to bitch. That's negative energy.

9. Make sure that bonding time is never too often. You'll value it more.

10. Maintain life-long friendships with girls who also love themselves. That's where girl power comes from.

Take a break from married like. Bond with the girls. Come to think of it, it will actually keep your marriage intact.