Moving From Peep to Homie

MaryBeth Eberhard shares why the transition from peeps to homies is one of the most beautiful seasons of motherhood — for everyone.  

There are two group chats on my phone. They are affectionately titled "Peeps at Home" and "Homies Not at Home." To me, a peep is one of many little chicks who gather around their momma for sustenance as they grow. Homies make their own schedules, occasionally wear sunglasses at night, make you laugh with their music choices, pick up groceries at the store for you, drive their own cars, hold late-night conversations like we should brew a fresh pot of coffee, and take a piece of your heart with them wherever they go.

The transition of moving a peep to a homie hits my heart every time. I feel like a mother bird who is nudging her baby bird out of the nest, yet I’ve spent a lifetime of mothering them to prepare for this moment. It is beautiful watching them soar.

Bigs and Smalls

As the mother of eight children ages 24 to almost 14, I forge the relationships with each of them throughout their childhood, relationships that bind our hearts together. When our children were growing up, my husband and I referred to them as the Bigs and the Smalls. The Bigs are now all out of the house working or almost graduated from college.

Right now, we have four in the house, with the oldest of the Smalls having just graduated high school and heading off to college in a couple months, thus beginning the next four-year season as all my peeps become homies. As they grow into young adulthood, some of these heart strings are tugged, stretched, and reshaped. It’s natural, necessary, and yet still painful.

What Makes a Peep a Homie

I’m often asked how a peep becomes a homie. Simple logistics make the transition happen when they move out of our home. However, this rite of passage also comes with some expectations. Homies pay their own bills. Homies have jobs. Homies manage their schedules, screen time, and commitments. Things that were once rules for peeps need to become areas where the homies can learn by trial and error. Trust is built in times like this. When lessons are learned whether they be mistakes or successes, I listen more, letting them share their hearts. It’s amazing how much my homies just want to be heard. The goal is that our peeps, while at home, learn the skills to become homies.

The homies chat stays busy with occasional recipe requests, work, tax, holiday plans, humorous memes, and check-ins. The peeps chat tends to be more logistics and grocery lists, pictures from where they are, with scattered good-night texts and safe at work messages as they get up early or close at work. Each group serves its purpose and I’m reflecting on that.

My peeps need more logistics and reminders, more presence right now in their lives. They are at home because there are things they must learn here first. Peeps often reach out with questions. Whose laundry is in the washer? Where are we meeting? Who’s got dinner duty tonight? Has anyone seen my soccer cleats? I’m always so grateful to be a part of that learning experience as they grow.

One of the gifts of having them in my home is that there is an ease to encountering a parent and running ideas by us. I call this a ministry of presence, and it is the foundation of my motherhood. My homies are off living and learning, but still want to stay connected. Praise be to God.

As I navigate this season, I ponder how Mother Mary must have felt as she watched Jesus leave for His ministry. I think she must have held the same emotions many of us feel as we send our children off into the world: gratitude, hope, anticipation, but also a nervousness and a sadness at letting go. She knew her motherhood was not ending, merely changing. Yet she, too, had to step into the unknown.

As a mom who believes strong relationships are crucial to positive parenting, I am striving to find ways to stay in contact, keep conversations flowing and encourage them to keep in touch with each other. These group chats give me that freedom.

When a Homie Texts

Recently I moved my son for his first job after college across the country. I still feel my heart swell when I remember reading the late-night “Good night from Seattle” followed by the morning text “Good morning from Seattle, Mama.” To me, those simple texts are a sure sign of growing relationships.

Peeps text because they need me. Homies text because they want to.

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Copyright 2026 MaryBeth Eberhard
Images: Canva