Did YOUR circle of friends change much when your children started school?

[tryingtobemarypoppins2]

Since having babies our group of frinds has changed massively! Just wondering if this changes again (I expect to a lesser degree) when your babies get older and start school?

Only in the sense that I have added another circle of friends IYSWIM.

I never expected to "join in" with the whole Mums in the playground scene BUT since DS1 started school last September I have been pleasantly surprised.

About 5 of us have struck up a friendship, we get together for a drink from time to time. Will take the kids to things together etc. The DHs get along well also and sometimes we all go out together as couples.

Just after DS1 started school my Mum sadly died, she was the mainstay of my childcare so as well as being an awful time it was a big transition.

This is where my new friends come into their own, if anyone is ever stuck/running late for pick up etc. A quick text to one of them and they are always happy to help out.

It's really nice to feel you have some extra support. In fact when expecting DS3 in the summer and commenting that I was nervous about having a newborn with no Mum around to help one of the Mums said, "but you've got us".

So for me something I never expected to be part of has been amazing!

Ah that's really lovely Haribojoe

Any other experiences?

yes my circle of friends changed, but then it was always going to due to other life factors.

However, it only changes as much as you want it to as there are many of the nct circles of friends who still meet up for coffee and chat whilst the kids play.
Had i not moved i expect i probably would have kept my nct friends. However, as the kids would have been going to different school i expect we would have seen each other less then we were (about once a fortnight)

I once heard a quote (can't remember where or who from now) about this.

For the first five years, your children's friends are the children of your friends. Then they go to school and your friends become the parents of your children's friends.

This certainly seems to have been the case for me although it all changed again when I went back to work as I'm no longer in the playground and I seem to have fallen out of that particular group quite rapidly.

There lose I'm sure SandStorm!

I also widened my circle of friends when ds started school. Don't know if I was just particularly lucky, but I have made several new, good friends and many more more casual friends that enjoy a night out.

We still catch up even though the majority of us have ended up back at work.

an even wider circle of fab friends!

The real reason I am asking is that I am considering sending my DC to the school I teach at 2 days a week. Do you think I will be treated the same?

Have you experienced this cat64?

I've worked with a few other teachers who had kids in their own school - worked absolutely fine but schools were quite big double or triple stream so they didn't see each other very much at all and certainly never taught them, might be harder in a smaller school.

We were thinking of moving into the catchment village! Are we nuts!?