Unless you live in an isolated area, it's a lot easier than you might think to befriend other new parents. You can meet them informally or formally, in the park or in a class. But making new friends is a lot like dating (remember those days?) so don't be shy. Keep in mind that you won't make a new friend unless you make the effort – and that new mom or dad at the library is probably just as eager to connect as you are. From these first chats about ages and stages, you may progress to sharing tips, bargains, babysitters, and, best of all, true companionship.
Here are a few tactics for meeting other parents:
• Stay open to opportunity. Now that you've emerged from the fog of those newborn days, you'll probably find yourself utterly fascinated by another parent with a baby near your own child's age. As you stop to admire each other's babies in the supermarket, the mall, or the park, remember that you're probably both hungry for adult conversation and someone to compare notes with. You may have absolutely nothing in common except your babies – and that will be enough to sustain long conversations, at least for a while. So bite the bullet, swallow your pride, and ask that other parent if she'd like to go for a cup of coffee.
• Seek out groups for new parents. Even if you don't make any lasting friends, just having a weekly opportunity to sit in a room with a bunch of babies and their tired parents, exchanging notes and support, is good for the soul. Churches, synagogues, parks and recreation departments, adult education programs, and hospitals often offer facilitated parent groups at a nominal fee. Classes and baby activity programs offer another good way to meet like-minded parents.
• Start your own playgroup. In the first year, a playgroup benefits the parents more than the babies, though the little ones enjoy watching each other. Post a notice at your local park or supermarket, on a social networking site, in a community newspaper, or at some other place that draws those with babies. For starters, you might suggest that participants meet at the park at a set time each week to take a walk; later, as the group gels, consider meeting at each other's homes. You don't have to have much of an agenda – most of you will simply welcome the chance to talk with other parents about the rigors and the fun of parenting.