School run - does it get any better?

[InARut]

Have been taking DD to school since last September, have been slowly chipping away at the cliques and getting to know a few people, albeit painfully slowly. I've had a few health problems lately, awaiting tests etc feeling tired and low, and I realised today that if I don't make the first move to talk to anyone in the playground no one bothers to come over to talk to me or look at me to say hello. Do things get better with time? Feel like I'm chipping away at an iceberg sometimes! Feeling a bit low and a hello from someone would have cheered me up a bit.

I wouldn't say the school run is my social focus just that I haven't got the energy or umph to arrange to meet my own friends at the moment. I do work so I see other friends at work too. Children's parties are great but it just goes back to the cliques at the playground. They are not bad people, I think some places just get into a 'culture' a way of doing things - evryone was very friendly in the first week. all smiling, now a lot of people barely look at me. I will talk to differnt people and it doesn't feel false at all, I am older and can see through the' I only mix with people like me' attitude, everyone has something of interest to me, at least for a few minutes a day - I am not loking for lifelong friendships just to pass the time a bit.

TBH then I would try not to get too hung up about it. You work, you have friends there. You are talking about a very small part of the day - a few minutes wait at the school gates. Just smile and look friendly but don't expect scintillating conversation!

fizzy - not viewed that way by the dads themselves, surely? We are usually only too happy to have any kind of acknowledgment at the school gate! Must be the other mums you are referring to... which is sad.