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When Your Friends Have Kids
How to maintain adult friendships with parents
I have friends who are parents. When their children are teenagers or adults, it’s not an issue to plan activities with the parents. Well, not normally.
One acquaintance of mine was almost never able to socialize with friends even though her child was older. She invited several of us to go get drinks. Twenty minutes into our outing her 17-year-old daughter called. The girl was having a panic attack.
This girl has an active life — she participates in sports, is part of her school’s Yearbook committee, and has had boyfriends… but she needs her mother to always be available. I am not close enough to know the situation. There may be a medical condition I am unaware of.
However, this is fortunately not the case with most of my friends with children.
One close friend has three children. I’ve been friends with her for about 8 years and we have a great friendship.
Sometimes she and I get together without her children. This became easier once her youngest started going to kindergarten. We just arrange to meet up for coffee or lunch early enough so she can have an hour to herself before they get home.
