tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post1715058190571397161..comments2023-09-25T04:35:05.908-05:00Comments on A Graceful Disaster: Just call me awkwardAliRosehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11332421707803139102noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-57983814205265419712012-07-19T15:41:43.537-05:002012-07-19T15:41:43.537-05:00Hi,
I just had a quick question in regards to you...Hi,<br /><br />I just had a quick question in regards to your website. If you could email me at your convenience that would be great!<br /><br /> <br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />KatieKatie Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07779851718664525420noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-21226667872330301792012-07-17T08:25:05.289-05:002012-07-17T08:25:05.289-05:00I can totally relate. I am the most awkward perso...I can totally relate. I am the most awkward person I know! I would love to have mom friends who live near me, but I have no idea how to make friends. With all of the classes Isla is involved in, you'd think I'd make at least 1 friend. NOPE! Small talk never goes any further. <br /><br />I would be super annoyed too if thse were the responses I got on my post. Oh really?? Go to the pool? So lame. Why state the obvious, lady!? I have heard great things about meet up, but you have to pay for it. I've joined a few meet up mom groups on facebook but don't even have the balls to go to an event because the thought of chatting with strangers makes me panic. Ugh. Plus, I have NO IDEA what to talk to people about. My life revolves around my kids. No interesting job to talk about, no hobbies...nothing! I don't even watch tv much. <br /><br />You are definitely not alone on feeling awkward. I will probably never approach a parent at the park and ask for their number. Although you could make mommy business cards to hand out freely. I heard they are all the rage these days :)Betsyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04008620299775705584noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-61023567611625397172012-07-15T12:56:55.563-05:002012-07-15T12:56:55.563-05:00Love love love love love this post and feel exactl...Love love love love love this post and feel exactly the same way. Everytime I go to the local park I hope to find another mom like me, who is shy and feels anxious when talking to new people, but hope that she is less anxious than me and will approach me to see if I want to become her new mom buddy. I think I've told you before that there is a couple in our neighborhood who have 2 young children (a boy that's 6 months older than Kellen and a boy that's 5 months older than Mila) AND a boxer. I mean, how much more alike could we be? Anyways, I'd tried several times to hint that I'd like to get the kids together and try to form some type of mommy/kid friendship, but nuh-uh. She totally did not take the bait and was super passive. Clearly she is too cool for me. So that makes me even more nervous to approach anyone, thinking they'll shoot me down as well. So, I usually just keep to myself hoping someone will feel sorry for me and invite me to be their friend. How pathetic is that? But, randomly, the other day I was walking to the park and a lady in my neighborhood who has a daughter a year older than Kellen said "we should get the kids together regularly"!!! I was sooooooo excited, I felt like I was in kindergarten making my first friend. We didn't exchange numbers or anything, or arrange how, exactly, we'd go about this, but I'm just glad someone is interested.<br /><br />Anywho, I totally don't have any advice, because I go through the exact same feelings as you. But I'm thinking of looking at that website that your blogfriend suggested. I wish we lived closer so we could get together regularly!! Maybe someday soon??? :)Freckleshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01906720332642191078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-25024563045564523682012-07-12T23:24:59.085-05:002012-07-12T23:24:59.085-05:00I think I've just realized that I'm a pare...I think I've just realized that I'm a parenting park introvert too. <br />So, get this awkward park situation I had last weekend. We get to our local park and my son spots a child 2 years younger, but the only other kid at the park. So, he goes up to him and the two boys are semi playing together. Running around, etc while I'm nursing the baby.<br />After awhile the boys dad comes up to me and asks me for my number so his wife can call me as our boys are obviously having 'so much fun together' (they aren't really). I get all sputtery and weird and tell him my cell number and awkwardly wave to his wife on the side lines. <br />Then as I'm telling him my number that he is punching in his phone, I get a weird worried feeling and totally LIE about my name. I KNOW! Seriously, this is not ME. I don't even know what happened but I got all weird about this stranger calling me up for a park date one day. What the hell!?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14251956834955281101noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-33869397321985912102012-07-12T14:30:39.260-05:002012-07-12T14:30:39.260-05:00That's so funny you posted this today b/c I ju...That's so funny you posted this today b/c I just joined a NE Mpls neighborhood FB group and was thinking of putting up a post exactly like yours. <br /><br />Because I also dislike playdates scheduled far in advance that seem so formal - all I want is a chill neighbor who will stop by at the last minute and hang out in each other's yards, etc. <br /><br />I totally hear you about making friends on the playground, even though I'm a total extrovert, I don't get nervous about talking to the people, but I feel super awkward about asking about their work schedule, etc., and assuming they'd want to hang out. Hahahaa and bleh yeah I'm really sick of the standard "how old, what's his name?" convo too. <br /><br />I have friends who live in Mpls, but even S. Mpls seems soooo far away sometimes.Frugal Vegan Momhttp://www.frugalveganmom.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-87872731874931587362012-07-12T12:58:25.153-05:002012-07-12T12:58:25.153-05:00I totally feel like I could have written this same...I totally feel like I could have written this same post. I work full time so I feel limited in my time to go out and find friends/set play dates - I just wish they could be established already. I know I should probably try harder, but like you, I'm not sure how... and it doesn't necessarily come naturally to me. <br /><br />My husband and I have talked to some neighbors who have a daughter a year younger than ours and were hopeful they would become good neighbor friends. Now that we've talked a bit I would feel comfortable making a suggestion to get together for a play date or a BBQ, but I've also realized that I don't think I'd want to. She's nice enough, but nothing like me. That's my other worry... that I finally get a play date set up and then I realize that I can't stand the person. I feel terrible stating that, but it goes through my mind.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13431574559764434086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-69456314559705407962012-07-12T12:06:13.887-05:002012-07-12T12:06:13.887-05:00I can definitely relate. I really wish I had more ...I can definitely relate. I really wish I had more mom friends but I am not sure how to go about it either- I am definitely like you and wouldn't approach a random stranger at the park. For some reason, I feel more comfortable trying to meet/make friends through blogs etc. but that's hard too!Sarah https://www.blogger.com/profile/04307891396528119778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-36513956389481145772012-07-12T11:41:17.984-05:002012-07-12T11:41:17.984-05:00I was just talking to a friend of mine who seems t...I was just talking to a friend of mine who seems to be pretty good at meeting random mom friends (but she is of the bubbly chatty type for sure) and she said most of the playdates are organized far in advance and come from preschool or organized sports, which thus forces you to see the same parents multiple times. I really do not believe the myth of the "park meeting friends". IT'S ALL A LIE! Just like "enjoying every moment!"Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17928807868790599467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-52189516672611262052012-07-12T10:52:23.054-05:002012-07-12T10:52:23.054-05:00Erin - I really don't know how it happened but...Erin - I really don't know how it happened but my friends from college/high school all managed to spread out to each corner of the Twin Cities area. I'm right here in the middle, and then we've got Savage, Woodbury, Cottage Grove, Chicago (ha! yeah, obviously no impromptu play dates happening there). It's pretty ridiculous actually, the curse of the SUBURBS, pulling us all further and further apart. ;) <br /><br />I'm not actually in Minneapolis, I'm just a teeny bit west of the Victory neighborhood of North Mpls, in Robbinsdale. <br /><br />Anyway, glad I'm not the only one who gets all sweaty and nervous about picking up other moms at the park. <br /><br />Oh oh! And I totally agree, meeting moms at the park sounds like it would take about 10 times of seeing the same people there before you'd actually exchange the digits and become actual friends. I don't have the patience for that!AliRosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11332421707803139102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-4059414096931292972012-07-12T10:47:17.424-05:002012-07-12T10:47:17.424-05:00This post made me chuckle a few times... you are f...This post made me chuckle a few times... you are far from alone Alicia! I am an extravert when it comes to some things but when I totally feel your pain with this issue. I too just want some local "mom friends" with kids my age but yet I just can't seem to make a connection with any of them. We talk when at T-Ball or picking our kids up from Kindercare but that is it... I want to be able to call one of them on the weekends and set up a playdate for Colton but I never do. What is even more sad is that I got a call form one dad (a kid that COlton went to kindergarten/kindercare with) about a playdate and we were not free. He made the first move so why am I scared now to return the call and see if another date works. We went to that boys birthday party and he came to Colton's (and his dad stayed and played the entire time too)... so why in the hell can't I just make that call! Oh wait, that is becuase me and phone conversations are awkward... I would much rather communicate via email or text. So anyways, after all that rambling you are NOT alone. I don't have any advice that can help you, I wish I did. If you figure out a good way please let me know so I can implement it into my life as well. Hang in there and I know you have heard this but once he goes to school he will meet kids and maybe you can make more connections there (although that isnt working so well for me, I just need to step up and call these parents cuase we have said it many times "we need to get the boys together over the summer" so the invite is there yet I am scared)!!Berbs33https://www.blogger.com/profile/10997549438245315622noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-46338046815480187462012-07-12T10:32:16.160-05:002012-07-12T10:32:16.160-05:00Meet-up actually looks pretty awesome, thanks for ...Meet-up actually looks pretty awesome, thanks for the recommendation. And it does help to know others feel the same way. <br /><br />I think I am wanting too much, I want to skip over the weirdness at the beginning of a relationship with new friends and jump right into hanging out all the time and our kids being best friends. ;) IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?!AliRosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11332421707803139102noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-19253580013906576502012-07-12T10:28:55.298-05:002012-07-12T10:28:55.298-05:00Ha - I have to chuckle that Baby Mama aka Allison ...Ha - I have to chuckle that Baby Mama aka Allison just commented at exactly the same time as me because she one of the aforementioned "close friends" met through the internet :)Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17928807868790599467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-20527433195288269292012-07-12T10:26:46.743-05:002012-07-12T10:26:46.743-05:00Oh god. How ANNOYING. If I lived closer to you, I&...Oh god. How ANNOYING. If I lived closer to you, I'd totally be your text mom-park friend :) And honestly, if you're willing to drive to St. Paul, we have many impromptu playdates happening! However, I'm only available at times I'm sure your other real life friends already are, so that doesn't really help you... ugh.<br /><br />The SAHM set seems very... um... cliquey. Highschooly. Some of my closest friends now were met through some form of the interwebs, but they also just happened to live a few houses down from me at the time, so that helped. I always have the best luck with just finding friends of friends at their gatherings who live near me - but I think I just got lucky that so many of the friends I'd made in college ended up choosing to live in close proximity to one another. And we're all working parents so it just works out.<br /><br />I am an extrovert (but sometimes I question that) but I literally get queasy even thinking about "just making friends at the park" - I'm like you, I'll have the casual conversation, but that's it. Anything more than that makes me want to vomit out of nervousness. I'm sure there ARE stories of people who actually have success building long lasting friendships at the park, but I'm guessing they don't come from just one meeting - I could see after seeing the same people maybe 10 times, finally having exchanging contact info.<br /><br />You had the right idea, I guess just not the right kind of people happened to read your post and respond :(Erinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17928807868790599467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8803341.post-12421681778294405432012-07-12T10:19:36.426-05:002012-07-12T10:19:36.426-05:00Have you checked out Meetup? Are you in Minneapol...Have you checked out Meetup? Are you in Minneapolis? The Minneapolis Hip Mamas group is pretty great. I went to several of their gatherings, but then got busy (and live on the other side of the city) and haven't gone much. Does it help at all to remind yourself that the other mom's probably feel the exact same way you do and are probably so thankful when you make the first move?Baby Mamahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02710478317948838046noreply@blogger.com