“Here I was sitting alone one night after getting my daughter to bed, thinking, ‘Maybe I’m not cool enough,’” she recalled. “All of a sudden, I was in high school again, feeling totally lost as to what I was doing ‘wrong’ to be left out.”
Which is exactly why Ashley—noting she hoped her daughters would advocate for themselves in a similar way—texted the group upon her exit, “This is too high school for me and I don’t want to take part in it anymore.”
Despite some of the group offering what Ashley dubbed ingenuine apologies, sharing they hadn’t realized she’d been excluded, the High School Musical star stood firm in her decision to remove herself from the inner circle. As for why she decided to share her experience?
“Motherhood has enough challenges without having to wonder if the people around you are on your side,” Ashley explained. “You deserve to go through motherhood with people who actually, you know, like you. And if you have to wonder if they do, here’s the hard-earned lesson I hope you’ll take to heart: It’s not the right group for you. Even if it looks like they’re having the best time on Instagram.”
