feeling overwhelmed : so many 'invites'/playdates etc

[vannah]

Not sure quite how silly this is going to sound but I need some advice on how to start turning people down kindly.
Since becoming a parent 4 years ago, there are many new parent friends in my life. Requests to meet up either together with kids, or alone in the evenings are coming through all the time and for some reason my close friends from my past (incl non-parents) are starting to ask me to come out in the evenings very often.

I am in fact feeling tired and quite run down pretty much most of the time, and am seeing most of my friends out of obligation.
Im amazed throughout the day how funny life is, there have been times when i have been so painfully lonely, and have gone out of my way to 'make' new friends. Parenthood has brought lovely people into my life but Im really feeling physically and mentally unable to do this.

Does anyone have any advice on this pretty petty topic?
thankyou

Wow, sounds like you're popular! At the moment I'm living in isolation and have no friends really, so I know how bad the loneliness can be. To avoid ending up there again, you shouldn't turn everyone down. How about you decide on accepting say 1 or 2 invites per week and stick to that. If you don't want to accept an invitation in the evening, just thank the person but say that you have a lot on this week and then try to set a date that works for you. If they are close friends, explain that you're pretty tired (kids wearing you out) - they should understand.