DS1 isn't even here yet and I'm already worrying about how he's going to make friends when he's older. A bit of background; DH and I are in our late 30s/early 40s and this is our first and- most likely- only child for a number of reasons.
We do have friends who have children, but they are all already school age or above, so won't be interested in 'playing' with a baby. They are also unlikely to have more children.
I have a number of younger siblings with whom I'm very close, but they are unlikely to be having children any time soon so he won't have any cousins, etc. of a similar age.
DH and I aren't very 'social' people. I mean, we socialise with our friends, but we're sort of at that age where we've got all the friends we need (god, that sounds awful! I hope you understand what I mean) and we're not very good at meeting new people- we're both a bit nerdy and awkward. We've never had a huge circle of friends, just a small group of very close friends we've known for years.
I heard that attending NCT classes was a good way to network with other new parents so we joined a group; it became clear very quickly that we were the oldest there by a significant margin and- as lovely as the others are- none of us really have anything in common and no one has really indicated that they'd be interested in meeting up after our children are born, so it's unlikely I'll strike up any friendships that way.
How do you find other parents with children of a similar age to enable your child to learn to socialise with others? Can any other parents of only children give me any tips? I'm planning on taking baby to sensory and music groups, etc. a few times a week once he's a few months old- do you think that'll be enough? Any advice or things you found useful? I really worry about it, probably more than I should, but I came from a big family so always had my siblings to keep me company- maybe I relied on their company a bit too much when growing up rather than making my own friends- sadly that's not an option for us. I just want to give him the best opportunity to grow up confident and assured around other people. Some people just find it so easy to make friends!
Thanks in advance.
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How will my son make friends?
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Skeppers · 09/07/2015 19:22
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