“Both myself and my partner are aware that while we’ve tried to have family around quite frequently for him to get used to being around others, there aren’t really any other babies/ young children in the family nearby (there are a few but we only see them maybe once or twice a year).
“As a result, we’re both looking to make some new parent friends who also have babies/ young children so he can socialise with others his age.
“I’m aware in my childhood I didn’t really see or interact with other children until I started preschool, and as a result, I did struggle to get on with others my own age (even now all my friends are older). We also never really had any babies around in the family as I was growing up, so it’s all incredibly new to me.
“I’ve been to a few baby groups, but I’ve found myself feeling quite shy and anxious in those social situations. I think it’s because I’m so new to all of this, and also (may be wrongly presuming here), my interests are quite different from the average ‘mum’ I would say, so I feel like I’d struggle to find anyone ‘like-minded’ except for us having kids in common.
“Also, alot of parents in the area seem to be younger than me, which is also abit of a challenge. I know I need to challenge this aspect because of the impact its had on my life! Any tips and advice is welcome!”
People flocked to the comment section of the post to share their advice with one person writing: “It’s good to know it’s not just us! Our area has plenty of baby groups but it feels like everyone already knows each other so it feels awkward trying to make my way into the conversation.”
A second person had a similar situation: “I can relate. All of my friends with children have considerably older children than I do, so they’re long out of this stage of life so it’s hard to connect in a way and others don’t have any children.
“I think I’m generally beleaguered because my biggest interests/hobbies tend to be really different than most women I know — and tends to still be very male dominated, which makes finding other like-minded mom friends more difficult.
“I will honestly say that I’ve been told by other moms that it’s super hard in general. I’ve also been told that it can be extremely tough to navigate how to find like-minded people who are also parents and be able to connect on more than just being parents. You’re not alone in your feelings. I think a lot of people feel this way.”
Another didn’t have any advice but commented: “I’m the same way. All of my friends are gaming friends, men, and chronically single. I’ve been thinking about putting my LO (nearly 3 months) into a swim class. I’m horribly shy and think doing something I enjoy (being in the pool) might make it a little easier.”
Do you have any tips or advice?
