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Originally Posted by kleemandy
We moved to a new state October 2010 and I enrolled my son in a toddler playgroup twice a week. This is March already and I still feel like I don't fit in. This is a very active community and people are always jogging, running, hiking ect ect. I only met 2 people who I talk to and have tried to talk to the other so called skinny, snobby moms but it is like they don't want to talk to the overweight girl. All they talk about is the gym, there friends, how rich they are. I didn't think it was going to be hard to make friends, as I am a pretty easy going, funny person. Is it really that hard to make friends or am I just looking into to much?
This is going to be hard to hear but...maybe if you stop thinking of the other moms as "skinny and snobby," it will be easier for you to talk to them. Of course they are going to talk about the gym and their friends - if those are things they have in common. Fake a question. Ask which gym. Ask what they like or don't like about it. Get the conversation started. I doubt they seriously sit around talking about how rich they are, but if they're talking about things that are out of your reach financially, it may FEEL that way (I lived in a particularly nice part of Manhattan for a few years. I know the other moms weren't trying to exclude me when they talked about the horrors of going to the Hamptons with only the cook OR the nanny, but not both - but I certainly couldn't take part in that conversation!). Ask questions, put yourself out there.
We have moved a lot. We have just moved to an area that's pretty affluent and most people are very busy. It is hard to break into an already established group so I just talk to people where ever I can - the other moms at story time, at the park, at Starbucks, anywhere. One thing I've noticed is that people love to give you "home town" info so let them! Ask about pediatricians or restaurants or bookstores or whatever you can think of. Ask about their kids or ****, their kid's clothes. It's hard on both sides of a new friendship. Not everyone is going to be your new BFF but you won't find friends if you don't keep putting yourself out there.
I have also found it helps to try to hit the same places at the same times - so when you figure out which parks are full at certain times, go there! You'll probably start running into the same people over and over. If you don't walk, start. See if there's a walking club or strollersize or something. You just have to keep trying. A few moves ago, I made the mistake of not getting out there and I found myself just really depressed. The longer we were there, the harder it was for me to try and eventually I just felt so lonely. It was awful. Make a plan, take a class. You'll find your people.