Other Mums not including me, am I paranoid?

[EvoGirl]

My DS is 3 now and since he was 6 months old I've been friends with a group of other Mums with babies the same age, but I came to the group late via my Health Visitor. We meet once a week at our playgroup and I see a couple of them at other playgroups and pre-school. They're lovely girls and always invite DS to birthday parties (plus a Halloween one next week!) but I hear them talking about seeing each other at other times and think "why don't they ever invite me?"

I know I'm probably being paranoid but it's really starting to get me down that they get together while I'm sat at home with zero social life. Part of me thinks it's not worth trying now as all but one of them are sending their kids to different schools to the one we've chosen so I won't see them anymore come next September anyway.

Someone tell me I'm not losing my mind and please give me some advice. Sorry for being so crap.

you can't be best friends with everyone - especially if you have a large group of friends....i don;t include all my friends in all my acitivites...you've been invited to some events..have you invited them to yours yet?

or make some more friends and do more stuff with them?

easier said than done, but don;t rely on other people to make your life a giddy whirl of coffee and outings..be proactive!!

I sometimes feel like this but do not fear. Once your LO goes to school you'll have a whole load of new friends.

In the meantime, could you not invite them round to your house for a coffee or for lunch with the LOs?

HTH.

I feel like this sometimes as well. My DS is 6 months now and we moved when he was 4 months. I never went to any antenatal classes either so didn't meet other mums there. I did do baby massage and thought I'd make friends but they all knew each other from antenatal. But some groups do seem very clique so don't think I would want to join in anyways!

Sounds familiar. Felt the same when we moved to our village. DD1 was 4 and all the other mums had known each other since the children were babies - plus dd1 was my eldest and their equivalents all seemed to be the youngest child. DD2 was a few months old and gradually - very gradually - I got to know mums with children dd2's age. These mums are still my friends seven years later - also know a couple of mums with children dd3's age. I run the local toddler group now and that has widened my circle of friends to an extent I thought impossible a few years ago! We even have regular nights out now

Helping out at the playgroup helped me get to know more people, although still found it hard to develope friendships. School gates chat really does help - its these mums you will see all the time and exchange play dates with.

Feel for you, but you will get there in the end!

Thanks girls, especially Emmylou. I have had all of the other kids over for birthdays but I suppose it wouldn't kill me to invite them round for no particular reason! There are a couple of birthdays coming up in November, so I might organise a little party lunch for Christmas in mid December. As for running a playgroup, I already do! Since another playgroup opened up locally with huuuuge funding for toys & activities only the aforementioned group of Mums still turn up! So they must be good friends mustn't they. I am definitely just paranoid!!!