It doesn't matter if it's in the middle of the night and you're silently deciding who is getting up with the baby, or it's in the middle of some kid's birthday party and you're both ready to go but can't say you want to leave out loud, you two have ability to communicate sans words and it's awesome. I can't tell you how many times I've given my partner nothing more than a look, and I know he is thinking the same thing. It gets us out of family events (sorry mom), toddler birthday parties (sorry friend) and awkward playdates (sorry random mom at the playground).

Parenthood is a wonderful experience, but it's also really freakin' hard and sometimes not fun (like, at all) and can fill you with a slew of emotions that you wouldn't necessarily categorize as "warm and fuzzy." When you voice your honest feelings about parenthood, like how sometimes you don't want to do it and sometimes you don't particularly like your kid, you can be judged and shamed and, well, made to feel like your valid feelings are indicitive of your parenting abilities as a whole. When your parenting partner is your best friend, you can share your less-than-stellar feelings about motherhood and get nothing but understanding and support and solidarity.

Best friends don't silently judge one another or wait to shame one another in public forums; both, sadly, relatively common occurrences when you share a part of your life on social media, especially as a parent. I've had great friends, even mom friends, shame me for my parenting choices and judge me for posting this picture or saying this particular thing or admitting that I sometimes feel way too overwhelmed.

Not my parenting partner, though. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to feel like, no matter what, I always have someone in my corner. Someone who gives me this silent reassurance that it's OK to be human and feel human feelings and think human thoughts, even and especially when it comes to motherhood and my kid.

Sometimes, I just need to bitch and vent and have someone tell me that I'm right. I mean, yes, I want my parenting partner to tell me when I'm wrong (and trust me, he does) but sometimes I just need reassurance, and he provides that for me.

I, personally, don't think that any relationship is ever a complete 50/50 split. Sometimes, one partner is going to need more from the other, so one partner will end up giving 60 percent or 70 percent, until the scales tilt in the other direction. For me, true partnership is the willingness to constantly evaluate the situation to see where two people are at and what two people need, and then adjusting accordingly.

When I was experiencing postpartum depression, my partner picked up the slack around the house. When I was busy working 12 hour days, my partner spent more (if not almost all) of his time taking care of our son. And, of course, when he needed a night out I was the one who stayed behind with our toddler. When he had to work over a long weekend, I was the one who worked and took care of our son, 100 percent of the time. That's partnership. That's friendship.

If this isn't friendship, I don't know what is. I talk to my partner constantly about poop. When I was pregnant, I was letting him know that I wasn't pooping. When I was postpartum, I was letting him know how painful it was to poop. When we changed our newborn's diapers, it was the color and consistency of all the poop. We are constantly evaluating poop, and in a weird way, I love it. We're so comfortable with one another that poop conversations ain't no thang.

I have some absolutely wonderful friends, who have seen me at my freakin' worst. Friends who have taken care of me when I was a drunken moron during my college shenanigans; Friends who have consoled me when other friends have died; Friends who have promised me that bad times do, in fact, get better. However, when you're in labor and you're naked and you're pooping in front of strangers and you're in pain and you're terrified and you're so exhausted and you're just not sure you can do it anymore, and your parenting partner looks you in the eyes and tells you, "You can do this. You're so powerful. You're amazing. You got this," you know that you have found your absolute, without a doubt, best friend.

A great friend will tell you when you have something in your teeth. A best friend will tell you when yo have baby puke in your hair and (probably) baby poop on your shirt and a baby wipe stuck to the bottom of your shoe.

There were so many times, especially when I was postpartum and exhausted and trying to get used to the dramatic life change that is becoming a mother, that my partner took the time to tell me that he thought I was beautiful. Now, whether or not I believed him is a different story for a different time, but I can't tell you how much I appreciated him telling me that I was stunning while I was breastfeeding, completely sleep-deprived and in desperate need of a shower.

Even the most well-researched, on-the-same-page parenting team will face disagreements. Because no two people are exactly the same, you will come across a particular situation that will require discussion. For my partner and I, that's gun control and whether or not we should have a gun in our house, now that we have a toddler. I always knew he was a dear friend, but when we were able to discuss such a heated topic with poise and grace and respect and understanding, I knew he was my best friend.

Your partner won't come from the same family as you, or perhaps even the same town or the same part of the country. Being able to not only respect, but celebrate, the differences between you two and how, when combined, they make you the best parenting team for your little, is a true sign of forever friendship.

Best friends just know things. It's kind of uncanny and even a little creepy, but it's also wonderful and can leave you feeling like you're absolutely, unequivocally understood and accepted by another human being. When my partner notices something I've done for our son, even if it's so minor and not worth mentioning, I know he's my best friend. When he notices and thanks me for preparing his coffee or buying that favorite guilty pleasure snack for no reason, I know he's my best friend.

Because only true BFFs think successfully peeing in a potty is worth a few tears. I mean, if you stop and think about it, it's kind of ridiculous that parents just lose their ever lovin' minds when a baby simply rolls over. However, it's the most amazing thing and worth all the happy tears and if you can feel unabashed excitement and joy in the little things, with you partner, you guys are the best of friends.

This is love, you guys. This is "friends forever" status. This is the ultimate token of affection and admiration and dedication. This is what you hope for, and this is what you deserve. Seriously, when my partner gave me the beautiful ability to stay in bed on Saturday and Sunday mornings while he took our baby and, later, our toddler, I could have married the man right then and there. In my pajamas. Without a shower.

I mean, we're not married, but still. You get the idea.

If you can laugh through the sleepless nights and the never-ending fear and the self-doubt, you guys are best friends. If you can laugh at the silly mistakes you'll inevitably make, you're best friends. Best friends can make even the most stressful, serious, potentially overwhelming situation, worth laughing at.