How often do you socialize?

[LongTimeListener]

You mean, by yourself? That sounds glorious.

I just can't begin to imagine how I'd pull it off.

No, I have kind of a rotating list of other friends who also love getting out of the house when possible, and find that Saturday morning is a lot more acceptable than Friday night. Basically instead of beer and pizza it's now eggs and coffee.

 

[Moderator1]

We have a unique group of friends where it seems there is something every weekend where people are getting together with kids, or just going to the local pub for a few. Watching games, bbq's any old excuse.

I have found a lot of people's socializing starts to change when their kids start playing sports or outside activities. Seems the socializing is centred around the parents you meet at these events.

Absolutely - when my kids were young and swimming, our entire social life revolved around their meets, etc., and the other parents on the team (one of whom would go on to become my former wife's new dude)

They got older and moved out and next thing you knew, so did I!

 

[User 11148]

If you count my golf, I socialize two, three times a week.

As a couple, MommaQuant and I participate in a rotating dinner party group at church, so that's about once a month. We're kind of fence-straddlers with that group -- we have kids either at or finished with college (like several of the couples) but we've also got one still in high school (like several of the others).

We're also good friends with another couple with whom we get together to watch a game or something every couple of weeks ... although that's dropped way the hell off since: A) their oldest gave 'em a grandchild two years ago; and B) their middle's counting down toward a wedding for February.

 

[Dick Whitman]

Absolutely - when my kids were young and swimming, our entire social life revolved around their meets, etc., and the other parents on the team (one of whom would go on to become my former wife's new dude)

This seems to happen a lot.

High school best friend: Wife divorced him and re-married the soccer coach.

College best friend: Divorce occurred partly because wife was seeing the karate instructor.

 

[LongTimeListener]

Had I been so inclined, I could have done better as the youth soccer/baseball coach than a rich frat boy does at USC.

Found out a lot more about individual family dynamics and frustrations than I ever wanted to.

 

[Moderator1]

Had I been so inclined, I could have done better as the youth soccer/baseball coach than a rich frat boy does at USC.

Found out a lot more about individual family dynamics and frustrations than I ever wanted to.

I need to make a list - I'd bet without writing it down that 75 percent of the couples from our swim team days are divorced now. The kids get old and get gone and you realize - WTF?
It's an odd world (our world not the swim parents world)

 

[Machine Head]

The swim parent parties were boring.

At the hockey parent parties 'something' was always going on. Some good, some really, really not so good.

Soccer parent parties were in the middle.

Edit: By 'something' I mean fun things and some bad, like a couple of dads brawling out in the back yard.

 

[JC]

Hockey moms are notorious in my parts. Coaching has it's benefits.

 

[Moderator1]

Had I been so inclined, I could have done better as the youth soccer/baseball coach than a rich frat boy does at USC.

Found out a lot more about individual family dynamics and frustrations than I ever wanted to.

A quick story:

Our swim team, like many, ran a weekly bingo game to raise money. All parents had to do one Tuesday a month to help run the game. Made a TON of cash. Since my job prevented me from being around most weekends to help with meets, I took on the duty as bingo manager.

We had to be there at 6 to set up, games ended about 9:45, we'd do a quick clean up and leave.

One night about 10:20, the phone rings. One of the wives, looking for her husband.

"You just missed him. He left about 10 minutes ago," I said.

"Oh, you guys finished early tonight?"

"No, in fact we're running a little late."

"WHAT? He told me bingo games ran until midnight!!"

He'd also told her he had to work twice a month, not once. He was carrying on with one of the team's few single moms. In exchange for her favors, he picked up her bingo night as well as his own.

He quickly became two things: a legend and a divorced man. I told him with a little heads up I could have covered for him.

 

[Machine Head]

Had I been so inclined, I could have done better as the youth soccer/baseball coach than a rich frat boy does at USC.

A youth coach I knew did that, might still for all I know.

Broke up at least one marriage.

 

[Machine Head]

Hockey parents traveling to tournaments always leads to a couple of stories.

I have to think about one I could share, not sure I should.

 

[SpeedTchr]

What the hell is wrong with people. Buncha animals.

 

[Machine Head]

I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you need to get out and socialize more.

Lots of things going on out there.

 

[I Should Coco]

In the "I'm becoming an old man department," I have something that rivals the Saturday morning breakfast: church choir.

It's easy to mock the choir as they warble their way through old hymns ... until one year, they asked for help with vocals and guitar and I decided to pitch in.

As LTL said, once I got over the fact that, at 44, I am the same age as everyone's children, I got along pretty well with my fellow choir members. And some of the dirty jokes told before or after Mass are top-quality!

 

[LongTimeListener]

Hockey parents traveling to tournaments always leads to a couple of stories.

I have to think about one I could share, not sure I should.

The guy that I've gotten to be closest buddies with from the sports scene, there's a story about him and another mom during a weekend tournament in Reno. How stereotypical is that? Anyway, the story goes that his wife found out pretty quickly, but they worked it out. I don't know what to believe because I've never seen any strife from them whatsoever, and I've never worked up the nerve to ask him. But my wife believes it totally.

 

[dixiehack]

If you have kids and enough energy left over for an affair, you're doing it wrong.

 

[Machine Head]

I know a couple who would travel to their kid's tournaments and one of the parents would take off with someone else for the weekend and show back up when the car was ready to go on Sunday.

 

[Ace]

Had I been so inclined, I could have done better as the youth soccer/baseball coach than a rich frat boy does at USC.

Found out a lot more about individual family dynamics and frustrations than I ever wanted to.

So it's a virtual Barnes & Noble out there?

 

[LongTimeListener]

freq speak the truth.

 

[Ace]

A quick story:

Our swim team, like many, ran a weekly bingo game to raise money. All parents had to do one Tuesday a month to help run the game. Made a TON of cash. Since my job prevented me from being around most weekends to help with meets, I took on the duty as bingo manager.

We had to be there at 6 to set up, games ended about 9:45, we'd do a quick clean up and leave.

One night about 10:20, the phone rings. One of the wives, looking for her husband.

"You just missed him. He left about 10 minutes ago," I said.

"Oh, you guys finished early tonight?"

"No, in fact we're running a little late."

"WHAT? He told me bingo games ran until midnight!!"

He'd also told her he had to work twice a month, not once. He was carrying on with one of the team's few single moms. In exchange for her favors, he picked up her bingo night as well as his own.

He quickly became two things: a legend and a divorced man. I told him with a little heads up I could have covered for him.

Don't become a bartender, Moddy.