When I became a mother, my life changed dramatically. My whole focus was on this new baby in front of me. As Ari has gotten older, I’ve found it harder and harder to maintain the friendships I had when I was without child.

I see my friends, but it’s not on a regular basis. It feels very random and scattered. On the weekends I like to spend time with Wil because those are his only days off. My free time to hang out with friends is during the week. But, most people are working during the week and are unavailable to hang out.

Also, if I manage to score a hang out session with a single friend, Ari is there and demands the majority of the attention. It’s difficult to finish a conversation when my child is making random tribal noises.

My friends who have kids also have complicated schedules, some of them are working, some of them are involved in paid classes that they take their kids to, i.e. sing-a-longs, tumbling, dancing on the ceiling. I don’t know, whatever it is they do.

The point is, I end up feeling lonely a lot of the time. I love spending time with Ari, taking him to the playground, drawing and painting, teaching him new things, but I need adult interaction too. I’m having a really hard time figuring out a balance here.

Are there any of you parents out there who feel the same way? How do you balance hanging out with your kids/family with spending time with friends?