Dear carolyn why dont friends with kids

Those conditions just don't allow glue to cure properly, for lack of a better analogy. Readers agree this isn't unusual:. Toddlers are tricky.

Want to meet at the park Saturday? Start looking for other people on the fringes who may also be looking for a way to connect. A little self-deprecation helps. Share something stupid and funny you did and laugh about it. I use it to break the ice.

It required a lot less of me, an introvert, than the first-date-like awkwardness. And now, advice to the advisers:. If you are someone who has an established group of a parent-friends, it never hurts to invite someone new to play group or game night or whatever.

Email Carolyn at tellme washpost. How do I find this person? You can also multitask your socializing and child care with baby-and-me-type programs on weekends. They might not yield lifelong friendships, but can add variety to your half-measures — and at least give you a shot at more. Especially if you push past your shyness and take some emotional risks. She was right, and trusting that kept me from getting discouraged.

Twenty years from now, they could well evolve into serene, taxpaying nutritionists while your own little hyperactive darlings are still lobbing Skittles across the classroom. Even uber-parents see their TV and cheesy-poof limits collapse under the weight of excitement. You can help by anticipating the stress and planning accordingly. Suggest kid-friendly restaurants, plan outings with running room and no TV, offer to visit post-bedtime.

My feeling is that I am building a life without one and then if it happens, it happens. I do have great, long-standing friendships.