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I'm always impressed when I hear about friends people make while they're out with their children. Hitting it off with the parents of their kids' preschool classmates, getting an invitation from the family at the next table at the restaurant. That never happens to me. I'll have an occasional conversation with the neighbor while the boys tear around on their bikes, but it stops there. I assumed that it's because I'm socially incompetent (also because we seldom go out to eat and I don't usually do the preschool drop-off and pick-up).
This morning I took my darlings to the indoor playground with a 3-year-old friend and both his parents. I've been there alone with all 3 of my kids before, but it's been a while; my kids are more active now. Our friends helped wrangle Andrew and Bobby and Ellen a bit, but I also noticed them relaxing, sitting back, striking up conversations with other parents. It made me realize that maybe the reason I don't have sparkling conversations with parents I meet out and about isn't necessarily that I suck at being social. It could also be that I spend the entire time counting my kids.
This morning I took my darlings to the indoor playground with a 3-year-old friend and both his parents. I've been there alone with all 3 of my kids before, but it's been a while; my kids are more active now. Our friends helped wrangle Andrew and Bobby and Ellen a bit, but I also noticed them relaxing, sitting back, striking up conversations with other parents. It made me realize that maybe the reason I don't have sparkling conversations with parents I meet out and about isn't necessarily that I suck at being social. It could also be that I spend the entire time counting my kids.