Making Friends

Yesterday Timmy and I packed up and headed to a community breakfast for his school. While he had a great time playing with his classmates, I found myself in the all-too-familiar situation of standing idly by myself trying to feign confidence among strangers who all seem to know each other. How do all of the moms and nannies always seem to know each other while I'm always the stranger? 

This has happened since Robby's first play date and I'm fairly certain it will be haunting me through Hamlet's college years. We RSVP yes to every party invite. I attend every parent meeting and class event. While I join the greater email and text chains, I've am still omitted from the more friendly banter. 

Standing by myself next to the playground fence, I felt the familiar pangs of discomfort. I made several attempts to make small talk only to be met with single word responses or the quick arrival of a group of friends who swoop in to "rescue" my poor victim. To be fair, I'm sure it probably wasn't as dramatic as my recollections. I think I am still licking my wounds from the overwhelming sense of rejection.

Thankfully, yesterday was about Timmy and not me. Although he was initially nervous about walking into a large group of new kids, he quickly located some familiar faces and was absorbed by the crowd. I couldn't help but feel happy as I watched Timmy run and play. Apparently, I suck at making friends. I'm glad that he hasn't inherited whatever traits I seem to project in group situations.