“I could sense a growing distance between me and the other members of the group, who seemed to not even care that I wasn’t around much,” says ashleytisdalefrench. When everyone else attended a birthday dinner together, I was met with excuses as to why I hadn’t been invited. Even though it had been decades since tenth grade, the experience of being left out felt so similar.” For #ItsBeenAYear, we asked women behind the headlines to share what 2025 taught them. At the link in bio, Ashley French (née Tisdale) tells us about the hard-earned lesson she hopes other mothers take to heart: If you have to wonder if your mom group likes you, it’s not the right group for you.