A now-viral TikTok from creator @danilyndesign hit a nerve—and maybe even healed something—in the hearts of so many women just trying to find their way through adulthood.
The caption reads: “Girls nights in your 30s. we’re holding one girl’s babies, one girl is showing her hinge matches, while another girl is laughing about her ex husband. the point is, you’re never behind in life. you are exactly where you are meant to be right now.”
With over 6 million views and 900,000 likes, the comments section is flooded with people who saw themselves—and their friend groups—in this one-minute reminder that timelines are made up and every path is valid.
Related: This mom’s powerful message about ‘the village’ is making parents rethink everything
This is what modern community looks like
There’s something so tender and radical about that idea: the village isn’t just for moms. It’s for all of us. The single friend dating with intention. The mom who’s showing up exhausted and breastfeeding in the corner. The newly divorced friend finding her joy again. The one who’s thriving in her career. The one who just got laid off. The one navigating IVF. The one navigating healing.
Motherhood can be isolating, but when you’re surrounded by women who don’t expect you to be one specific version of yourself—and who don’t rank your stage of life as more or less “important”—it changes everything. It reminds us that our stories don’t unfold on one path. They zigzag and circle back. And that’s not failure. That’s being human.
Moms need this kind of village
If you’ve ever felt like the only one with a diaper bag at brunch—or the only one without a diaper bag—you’re not alone. There’s still so much pressure to hit certain milestones at certain times, but this TikTok flips that narrative on its head. It shows that the magic happens when we’re all allowed to show up exactly as we are.
Science backs this up, too. Research shows that strong social ties improve mental health, lower stress, and even make us more resilient in the face of big life transitions like motherhood, divorce, and major career shifts.
In other words, your group chat might just be the most important thing in your life right now—and that’s not something to downplay. That’s something to celebrate.
The takeaway? You’re not behind. You’re exactly where you’re meant to be.
The truth is, there’s no finish line. No one-size-fits-all roadmap. And your “girls’ night” might look a little different than it did in your 20s—but maybe it’s better. More layered. More honest. More real.
So whether you’re showing baby photos, Hinge matches, or divorce memes, just know: you’re not behind. You’re living. And your people—the ones who cheer you on at every version of yourself—are everything.
Related: Postpartum depression left me isolated—here’s how I built a village for moms
Source:
Research from National Library of medicine. National Library of medicine. 2015. “Using the Power of Social Interactions and the Deep Desire for Connectedness to Empower Health and Wellness.”