“One night, after putting my daughter to bed, I was sitting by myself thinking, ‘Maybe I’m not sober enough,'” she recalled. “Suddenly, I was back in high school, ostracized and completely unsure of what I was doing ‘wrong’.”
Ashley said she wanted her daughters to advocate for themselves in the same way, which is exactly why she texted the group when she left: “This is too high school for me and I don’t want to be a part of it anymore.”
Despite some groups sharing what Ashley called a “heartfelt apology” and not realizing they had been excluded, the High School Musical star stood by her decision to remove herself from the inner circle. Why did she want to share her experience?
“Being a mother is difficult enough without worrying about whether the people around you are on your side,” Ashley explained. “You have the right to experience motherhood with people you think actually like you. And if you’re wondering if they do, I want you to keep in mind a lesson I learned the hard way: It’s not the right group for you, even if they look like they’re having the best time on Instagram.”
