In your twenties and thirties, you would have more than likely spent at least a couple of nights a week with your friends at the movies, at brunch, or out partying at night.
However, most unfortunately, when you meet a partner who you’re wanting to settle down with and more specifically, if you decide to have children, then the time you spend connecting with your best friends and other friendship circles usually diminishes.
So, in an attempt to re-address that balance, continue reading to learn how to reconnect with your friends as a busy parent.
Reserve the Services of Several Babysitters
For some reason, when invited out with friends as a couple to a party or for an evening meal, you’re far more likely to ask your regular babysitter to take care of your children so you can attend, but when there’s a gathering of friends for a bottomless brunch, you probably usually decline.
From now on, make sure you have the contact details of more than one reliable babysitter and next time there’s a WhatsApp group set up that’s dedicated to a bestie spa day, make the effort and attend!
Try Not to Constantly Talk About Your Child
Now, nobody is going to begrudge you the annual posting of school photographs when your children have their new uniforms on social media, but when it comes to valuable and increasingly rarer social time, try not to dominate the topics by talking about your children.
If every member of the friendship group who has children abides by this, then chances are that you’ll all have a more memorable and ultimately enjoyable time and will be more likely to arrange another meetup in the near future.
Arrange a Monthly Video Meetup
Another fabulous way of making sure that you have proper time scheduled with your besties is to arrange a monthly video meetup and choose an activity to play while everyone sits in their respective homes with a nice bottle of wine.
Make sure, of course, that your home internet provider is a reputable one and that you’re working with a fast, reliable, and speedy connection, so you don’t spend half your time logging in and out of Zoom when you should be catching up with your friends.
Be Understanding with Rearrangements
Finally, and perhaps most importantly of all, consider how busy you are and how hard it can be to juggle your professional commitments with your family responsibilities and parental duties. Sometimes, unexpected events get in the way of prearranged plans and without being totally walked all over, either by a childhood friend or a new “mom” friend, try to be understanding if one of your friends cancels at the last minute.
There are many ways that you can stay connected with friends, just make sure that you manage expectations and only promise what you can deliver, in terms of when you commit to plans and what you can reasonably do.
Friends are what makes life entertaining and form the required support circle around you as you navigate your way through life together.
