I had no idea that making new friends was so much hard work until I had a baby, moved out, and watched all of my friends move out of state. I was left alone with only the company of my husband, mother, and in-laws to talk to.
You don't really notice it at first until you get faced with the question "Who is your best friend..besides your significant other?" I have no answer to that. I need my own friends. Preferably ones that also have children..it's just easier to break the ice that way. "How old is Jimmy? OH! Rowyn is one also!" Enter: conversation about children leading up to a "play date".
I struggled with this for a while...You see I live in an apartment building and during the day other stay at home mothers bring their toddlers out to the park to play. Simple enough to make friends, right? WRONG! The timing for these things have to be perfect. I have to be taking Rowyn down to the park to play while another mother is down there also playing with her child..the mother also has to be...well...not a freak...or a little old lady taking her grandkids out to play. (I may be desperate for friends but I'm not aiming for Tuesdays with Morrie.) It is also a "guess and check" situation. You guess the mother over there is nice and friendly..so you go check. I've guessed and checked a few times since living here to no avail.
Finally this last Monday, while waiting for my sister in law to come pick Rowyn and I up for a 'girls day' I took Rowyn down stairs to play for a second. At that very moment another young mother was at the park with her daughter also..time to guess and check..but carefully so I don't come off as some weird-o running up to women going "HEY LOOK! I HAVE A KID TOO!" Luckily our daughters approached each other (Rowyn loves other little kids) and we got to talking. Which led to a play date for the next day.
Let me tell you, you don't know how socially awkward you have become by not having friends for almost a year until you try to strike up a conversation with some one with the intent of it lasting more than 2 minutes.
But after a year of trying, Rowyn and I have made friends with another young, stay at home mom in our apartment complex. So far we have had 2 play dates and everything is going swimmingly. The girls have a blast playing with each other and we get some much needed adult time talking to another woman who is not related to us.
This Monday we have another date, I'll be sure to document with pictures. Especially since I'm going to start a version of Project 356. I wont be calling it Project 365 because I'm already doing Project 31 and that's just way too many "Project 3...'s" for me. Instead the picture will just be inserted into my blog for that day.
Sincerely,
Lea
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