Making Friends (With Other Mother's?)

Your last SWH wasn't the kindest response to those who tried to help you.

Maybe you didn't mean it to come across that way but it did.

Maybe be aware of how you are coming across to others and it might be easier to meet people.

You don't mention the dad here so you are quite busy if you are single mom. Do you work outside the home?

Storytime at the local
Library and bookstore has moms, Gymboree classes for mom and me, your apartment complex probably has some moms, kindermusic classes, Mother's Day out, church, playground... just to name places where moms and children congregate.

I think daycare could work for your child to play and have friends but most parents at daycare are there to quickly drop off and pick up.

Best of luck.

I've always thought it was a rather strange phenomenon where people think that having a child is a reason to bond with others who have had a child.
Sure it's a chance to talk about diapers, rashes and other things that non parents wouldn't dream of talking about.
But really - if that's the only thing you have in common - you'll find that these acquaintances usually drop off as parents move with their child from one age/stage to another.
People we were close to in pre-school were not who we knew in kindergarten or even elementary school.
The crowd changes in middle school, and again in high school - and by college - we seldom if ever meet our kids friends parents anymore.
Parenting is a long 20 or so year stage - but it ends - and we move on.
So basing friendships on finding other parents is fine for a short term goal - but in the long run you are still going to have to find people who share similar interests with you - and there are so many more people to meet than just parents.
You are a person before you had kids - and you still are your own person after you are done raising kids.
Don't lose sight of who you are when you are in full parental mode!

Hello! I know what you mean though...it gets harder to make good friends as you get older. The trick is everyone is busy and you have to put effort into it for longer than you think. You have to expect people to say they are too busy or to say no for a while. You have to give it a few years of effort. These are the things I have learned. When we move to a new place I just actively look for people who I like and click with. When I do meet that kind of person then I ask if they want to do x with me (coffee, an art gallery, a dog walk, a tour, etc). I keep asking. I don't focus on just a couple people. I do this to many people and try to always be inclusive. Over time you start getting closer to people. It's great to volunteer at your child's school with PTA events and school events. I have signed up to help with reading once a week or be the co-room mom with another parent, or to be on the book fair committee. I also put effort into neighbors that I like...I stop and chat...we invite them over for a beer/wine...have their children over to play...offer to help with their kids if they need it, etc. You have to put time into it. I invite new friends to join me for an art workshop, a music event, a ladies night out, to take the kids to the pool, a social event, a museum outing, an interesting talk. We have lived in this new area 3 years and I am finally feeling like I am getting some really good friends. We just had a bunch of people over to our house for a BBQ and it was really fun. 3 years is a long time though! It just takes effort and time. Good luck.

Park (meet moms), mom and baby class, library, movie day for tots at cinema, walking club, etc. These things are all advertised heavily here.

Added - Just saw the SWH on your last question. Kind of rough on a bunch of moms who were trying to help you..

Try signing your little one up for some classes like swimming for tumbling and maybe you can get to know the other moms :)

I remember it being difficult at this age to make friends because you're more isolated and busy w/the little one. I found it to be much easier once my child went to kindergarten but here are some ideas that might help:
-take your child to library reading time & try to strike up a conversation w/other
moms of kids the same age
-go to a mall (see if they have a kid's play area)
-go to a toy store that has a play area to play with the toys
-strike up a conversation w/other moms any chance you get
-if you go to church, see if there is a church group
-honestly the best place I found at this age was the park
-it becomes easier once your child starts school. Kindergarten is a perfect place
to meet other moms, get to know them, set up playdates & eventually form
friendships so hang in there.

local libraries usually have a story time for little ones. check to see if your local library has a program you could start bringing your little one to. other places like music shops and park districts might also have some mommy and me classes that you could attend and find other kids near your child's age and you can chat with and connect with other parents.

Does your area do ECFE classes for babies/toddlers? That is where my daughter met some great new friends who also had kiddos the same age as hers. Also, signing up for other types of classes like baby swim classes or Mommy and Me classes are great for meeting folks. In fact, this is the best time to make friends - in a couple years, most of the kids classes are drop your kid off. At this age, moms are participating as well so it makes it easier to meet new people.

Good luck!

Find mom's of preschoolers in your area. MOPs. Take your toddler to that group when you can manage it. Take your child to story time at the library. They usually have one for toddlers and preschoolers during the school day and have other activities for the school age kids after school hours.

If you go to church or any other sort of organization your child will be in groups there. The moms aren't all involved in activities but some of them might hang around and you can strike up conversations with them.

Your child will grow and make friends at school then you can invite the mom and child to come over to visit. Getting to know the moms is a good thing.

Hmm, I actually didn't make many connections through daycare, although I wish you luck. With daycare, everyone is in a hurry to drop off and get to work or pick up and get dinner started. Plus everyone picks up and drops off at different times, so you might never even meet some of the parents. Overall, there isn't a lot of parent interaction IMO. I had more success in making mom friends at kid activities where the parents had sitting-around-waiting time while the kids did the activity. For example, library toddler activities or (once your child is older) soccer/t-ball/etc practices.

If you want to make friends through daycare, then you have to go to extra effort. For example, if your child mentions playing with a particular kid a few times, send a note home through the daycare asking if they would like to meet you and your child at the playground on the weekend to give the kids a chance to play and give them your text info. Then you can make conversation at the playground while you kids play and try to find out if you have anything in common with the parent.

Same idea for library time - if you see a child/mom who looks nice, approach them and ask if they'd like to get together at a park sometime to let the kids play.

I would also encourage you to not limit yourself to moms or to any other particular feature like age because that matters very little now that everyone is an adult (one of my best friends is old enough to be my mom). Pick 1 night a week and sign up for a class that interests you - exercise or art or gardening or whatever. You might meet someone who seems nice, chat in class, and eventually it might morph into a friendship - by the end of the class you might decide hey, let's meet for coffee before or after class next week or something like that. It takes a little more effort but it's the only way to really get to know other adults as an adult.

Good luck!