Hi all,
I am newish to MN and haven't posted much but love all the opinions and insights you guys offer to people's conundrums!
So here is mine!
I am a mom of 3-10, 8 & a little baby. I am outgoing and friendly person with nice friends. At times throughout my life, I have though felt it more difficult than others to make friends or feel welcome in groups. But overall have friends from different times in my life (college/different jobs/baby group) and maintain contact with them throughout the year through for events/birthdays/occasional catch ups, etc. This all lovely.
I am currently on parental leave following maternity leave and feeling quite lonely and abit 'left out'. I know this may sound childish but it's actually how I feel. I live in a pretty new estate. I was central to the whole coming together of the community by forming (accidentally) a community group. Everyone is very friendly and lovely and overall feel very lucky to live where I live. For a couple of years we were as a family very friendly with a couple of families as kids were good friends so spent alot of time with them. However, the kids are no longer as friendly and they have much more demanding work schedules and have made friends with another family, so we don't see them at all now (rarely).
Many of the ladies have formed stronger bonds with each other and have lovely nights together and walk together, etc. I know lots of the ladies individually and get on great with the. Sometimes I get an invite to things.
There is an event on this weekend and it seems many of them have been planning and looking forward to it together.
I met a neighbour out recently and she asked me to go and it is going all out for it. It will be lovely and I am going to go as that is what I am looking for...to go out and enjoy the night with the ladies.
My insecurity is though that if I hadn't met that lady I don't feel that anyone would have thought to reach out and ask me to go. We had an Easter get together recently and no one mentioned it to me. Now when I meet and say I am going too they are all...great, it will be a great day and there are loads going from the estate.
Is it that they don't want me to go? Are they are so busy organising with those that are a priority that I didn't come into the picture? Just feeling down about it , a bit paranoid. Would love your opinions and any advice to help me navigate this! Thanks so much in advance for reading this if you have got to the end!
(Ps. I am quite an inclusive person in general and would hate to see people left out or feeling like this. )
I suppose I am feeling like they