How much social interaction do you have?

[Youllsmashit]

Obviously when the current situation allows (pre pandemic) ?
Where we are (abroad) things pretty much opening as usual, still need masks etc and seeing lots of big groups of friends meeting up, all the time.
I’d say in the last month I’ve met up with mum friends (play dates once) and due to this week and with a friend and her toddler Ds, is this normal? Our family aren’t here and I’m a Sahm to a toddler, dp works and sees friends at work, maybe to one friends house twice this month..are we normal? It doesn’t seem a lot? The majority of our weekends are spent doing things as our little family. Dp doesn’t do football or go out to the pub etc, we’re ok the way we are but one friend said to me recently she was surprised we didn’t go to their local bar/restaurant, near to us but doors away from where she lived. Big ex pat group who I’m friendly with some but I just don’t go there 🤷🏻‍♀️
Just wondering if we’re normal really 🤣I’m guessing others would have a local and hobbies and a huge group of friends for weekends? We have it sort of on a smaller scale but mainly it’s just us.

None.

I used to have acquaintances where I used to live a couple of years ago, so had some nights at the pub, meet for coffee etc. But no one now.

I’m quite happy this way though, I wouldn’t go chasing it again.

None except family.

I don't have friends anymore. I don't chase them.

As little as I can possibly get away with.

I talk to an old friend from uni once a month. I avoid my brother as our childhood left us unable to get on. Obviously no contact with parents. Every three to six months we spend time with one or the other of my husband's family. They all live quite far.

None. I live alone and I'm disabled, so meeting people is hard. I really enjoy with my teenage kids come to stay and my mum comes over for a cuppa or to hemp out with shopping a few times a week.

Occasionally we have wider family meet ups, like next weekend with my mum, sister, two cousins and assorted children.

No. One of the reasons I found giving up work after I had kids so difficult. I would do a routine of dropping in medical centre, down to town for a coffee, then up the hill home just to see some other adults during the day. I joined post natal group when my baby was three weeks.
On weekends friends have their own families. Occasionally, with effort, I could get a gang together for a night out, but rarely.
One weekend my husband decided we should have an impromptu dinner party so called three couples expecting no one could come- but they all did happy to get out of the house!
I think for many people it's a mix of exhaustion, inertia, and not wanting to be the one to instigate it (fearing everyone else is partying it up). Whenever I have asked people to go out or come over I usually get a positive response, if I waited nothing would happen. But your life seems pretty normal.
I think socially, lockdown didn't affect as many people as some think.

We probably see people for a brew/quick pop in every couple of weeks, and then a 'thing' (cooking/being cooked for, going out to eat/drink) once a month. Plenty for me, I'm an introvert homebody haha - DH is more social than me, but he 'sees' his friends online a few times a week and did even pre-pandemic cos they live all over the world and are quite close.

I speak to a fair few of my friends a few times a week (and some daily) via message, though.

None - I live alone, have no family left alive, no real life friends, just a few online friends who I have never met. But I am neurodiverse anyway and struggle with forming friendships, which is why I use MN - it allows me an outlet for my writing, my preferred form of articulating my thoughts and feelings, and permits vicarious engagement with other human beings, whilst being anonymous.

Lots. I’m meeting up with three friends tomorrow for a walk, lunch with another friend Friday and dinner with other friends plus my husband Saturday night. Three times a week is my average.

Weekends we mostly spend as our family of four, though sometimes see my husband’s extended family as well.

We try to meet people one day of the weekend (either DH's family or friends of both of us) then spend the other weekend day just us. During the week I might meet either a mum friend or go visit my mum maybe 2/3 midweek meetups a month. I also go to a couple of toddler groups were I'm around other people, but never get past occasional small talk, so not sure that counts.

Pre pandemic I take the primary DC to school every morning and then do an hour in the gym with a school mum friend, 5 days a week. Get home around 11am or sometimes we go for an early lunch and I get back around 12.30pm. Wednesdays 11am-3pm I see my sister and we go shopping and for lunch and then Friday afternoons I go for lunch with a different school mum friend from 1pm-3pm. Maybe once every fortnight I also see another friend 11am-2pm one weekday. One weeknight PIL come over for dinner. I see my own mother maybe once a month for a few hours (no relationship really). Weekends are generally just DH, me & DC. DH works during the week and has few friends and for him its a "meet up once every 2 months for a meal" kind of friendships. He doesnt like anything more. School holidays, when we are not away, I see the children's friends and their mums 4 days a week on average.

During lockdown we havn't seen anyone. PIL bubbled with their other son (they use them for childcare so it made sense) and my DM bubbled with my sister. Once we were allowed to see people outdoors I began seeing gym friend daily again for a walk.

Phew it's tough isn't it.

I usually have a play date with the kids every weekend, so we'll meet another family at a park, etc. Which I do enjoy, but tbh it's a lot of work mentally for me. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of excuses to cancel! But once I'm there I enjoy it.

See a neighbour for a brew once a week. Natter at the school gate.

Still in hard lockdown here so not really meant to be socialising much really.

@Susannahmoody Why do you find it hard mentally?

@Susannahmoody I wake up in the middle of the night thinking of excuses to cancel!

I thought, to an extent, this was normal. I dont wake in the night worrying but I love it when someone cancels and I get "free" time Im not supposed to have. And the night before most lunches I do think "oh I have to do X, maybe I should cancel". But I know I have enough time to do X and still go, so I push myself to go. I always enjoy it, as you say.

Fixed things including weekly art classes and church. Then I try to have one other ‘people’ thing every week. I find that unless I consciously do that, I can go weeks without bothering and that is a contributing factor to my depression.

Only immediate family and the kids are both autistic and do nothing to recharge me, so to speak.

On an average week, we'd see both sets of parents at some point, usually over the weekend, and our best friends probably once for coffee or maybe a Sunday takeaway (they're a couple). That's really it.

Are in Ireland and everything is reopening but most 70 year olds haven't had 2nd vaccine and theyve just started doing over 60s so we're still edging along, been to a few more shops and kids in school but not really seeing friends or my family yet, hopefully by mid june

Pre-pandemic, lots.

I mean, it depends a bit on what you mean by 'social interaction' - does that include chatting with someone who is on the same walk / bus /train as you ?

Or are you really asking about "arranging to go out somewhere" ?

I've always been someone who joins things and volunteers and takes part in things. Pre children, that would probably be most evenings.

Once dc arrive, a lot more time obviously spent looking after them, but dh and I have always felt it important to keep a little bit of each of us that isn't "Mum" or "Dad". But then also have done things with the dc.
I've always WOTH, but I'd have thought, if I'd been a SAHP, then it would have been even more important to get out and about every day. I don't mean going to a restaurant or cafe, but just getting involved with other things where there are human adults to interact with.

Since being on MN though, I realise my life would be a nightmare for many.
So, it doesn't matter what anyone else wants to do, as long as you are happy with the amount you do.

Why do you find it hard mentally?

^

It's just the effort, to be honest. Especially as a lot of the actual planning tends to land on me. Then there's the whole conversation thing, will the kids play up, no doubt there'll be some unfortunate incident. Etc.

We went out this weekend and I offered to drive, so I was then worried about being able to concentrate on driving and make conversation etc.

I realise I sound like a lunatic but I'm quite sane really

@Susannahmoody No, I totally get it! I’m the same 🤣it isn’t exactly relaxing, especially with kids..sometimes I wonder why I put myself through it and don’t stay home just totally relaxed, but also, I generally feel great afterwards, so should keep making that effort.