Last night we went round to a friend of a friend to watch the football. DH's cousin is staying with us so we took her along - she's lovely. When we arrived DH sat down next to a chatty acquaintance and spent the entire evening talking about football with him. Meanwhile I was introducing his cousin to everyone, drawing her into the conversation, giving her a snippet of info about the people sitting near her so she had something to go on etc etc.
Today DH said what a nice relaxed evening it was and how everyone had a good time. Well yes - but I had to work at that to make sure everyone felt comfortable!
Few notes
*DH is a great guy, good emotional intelligence so he's not mean or oblivious - I think just didn't occur to him.
*The cousin is lovely, not socially awkward in any way but I still think needed a little hand holding in a room of complete strangers.
*Cousin is a different race and I didn't know that all the guests present were inclusive, so felt a little bit responsible for ensuring she felt welcome.
Is it fair to say women do this kind of thing all the time and men think that smooth social gatherings happen by magic?