Looking for some positive outcomes from those who have come to the conclusion that their friendship group (couples and children) is no longer working and becoming toxic.
We have been friends with a family for about 18 years; kids have grown up together and have holidayed together on a number of occasions. Kids have grown apart and two of them are no longer speaking and I think this hasn't helped. But we also feel that we have all changed individually and probably look at life completely differently. I actually wonder if all along it was the kids who cemented our relationship.
Both DH and I are enjoying our get-togethers less and less and feel that we need to withdraw from the group. I also think they all meet with out us which is absolutely fine.
Our whole social life is wrapped up with this family and other friends but we know that we are weakest link and won't see the others either but meeting them all is starting to fill me with dread and for various reasons feel that we are not even liked any longer.
I guess I'm looking for any experiences of when this may have happened to others. You find that you are alone as a couple when you have invested a long time in relationships with another family.
How did you move on? Did you meet other friends and how did you go about this? We are mid 40's so meeting others at the school gate has passed.
Or if you stopped socialising with the group for some time did this help?
It is a shame as I had lots of dreams of us all growing old together and the kids being firm friends during adult life - they used to be very close.