It’s no secret that once we all have kids, trying to hang out with friends is a complete mess. Everyone is busy, everyone is running in every direction, and everyone is feeling the pressure. But I recently asked my mom, who had a lot of close friends in the 90s and watched them. all Time — how she did it. She…didn’t really understand the question. “We just did it,” she said. She and her friends just got together.
And I’m sure that’s because all of their hangouts were low pressure. free.
For my mother, it was all an opportunity. You can’t bet on someone having a free weekend or babysitting on a Friday night. You also can’t bet on your friend having the funds for a weekend getaway or fancy dinner. But everyone needs to fold laundry sometimes, right? Everyone will go see it too. dancing with the stars Finale. On Sunday afternoon, everyone has two hours to play a game of Scrabble.
That’s how I sneak into my friend’s time.
You A) have to get used to having friends over (you don’t have to be shiny, just don’t do that), and B) you have to get out of this all-or-nothing mindset. Inviting your best friend and their kids over doesn’t mean you have to make snacks, plan activities, or clean the house. Chatting with a friend for an hour doesn’t mean you have to do it over dinner or over expensive coffee.
You just need to be with your friends. Whether you’re low on bandwidth and need to squeeze social time into your regular schedule, or you need a no-pressure, inexpensive idea to spend time with friends, there’s something here for every best friend or group.
So it may not be that difficult to create it in your head. Even if it requires extra logistics, it’s always worth it in the end, right? Bonus: Your kids will learn that your friendship doesn’t end when you become a mom.
