Picking up Parents

Husband and I often have this discussion where we start out by saying how few friends we have...how our social lives are increasingly going down the drain as our kids get older. I can organize a playdate in a heartbeat, know exactly what to say to seven year olds but I have to really rack my brain to come up with names of people who might be available for a drink at the drop of a hat, who don't have kids and live in the same city as we do.

Dear friends have moved to distant places, so now we see them once a year if that. Close friends we love to spend time with have children with different school and sport schedules. While its easy to think that I'll just pick up the phone and call so-and-so, it always turns out that so-and-so has either already left for a hike or climb, is taking their kids to a game or has run away to Whistler. I would take to the hills too.

It did cross my mind that maybe I'm projecting my psycho self and scaring away others. But the few parties that we had or attended last year rivaled any college bash in its duration (3 p.m. to 3 a.m.), rowdiness (the neighbours were away..yaay!) and general merriment.

Taking a proactive approach (lovely euphemism for being bossy), we decided that what we needed was to pick up parents. I mean, we've all either perpetrated or been a victim of random conversations with strangers in semi-fishy or flashy pubs and cafes. Trying to pick up, getting picked up, wading through a myriad of pickings and droppings.

Use those ninja skills to pick up not just a person but an entire family, so we are all happy. Why hadn't we thought of this before? This is genius! Putting plan into action we targeted our neighborhood bar that allows the kids to play as the parents get smashed. I love my neighbors:-)

We are big on talk but secretly I wasn't so sure. As it turned out, we sat next to this adorable toddler girl who smiled and rolled her eyes right into our hearts and before we knew it, the parents were bonding over school selection, lack of sleep, cost of a private education and other boring parent stuff. Right there, in front of the whole bar, we had picked up a family to be friends with. Even made a date to meet at the pub as often as we can.

So the old skills still work. But the question is, did we pick them up or did they pick us?