((Purple)),

You have to be patient right now until your little one can start preschool where you will get a chance to meet other parents. You are not alone in "feeling lonely" with a young child, actually alot of young mothers struggle with this "feeling alone" time until their child gets older and they can meet other mothers and make "new" friends. You have a challenge in that you can't drive and that you don't live in an area where you can walk to places that can expose you to "other young parents".

Please don't dwell on feeling "pathetic" because you have not established a solid group of friends right now, you have "had" good friends, but it is really "normal" to get to an age where "good ole friends go their seperate ways and it can feel like you are being ditched".

You need to find some activities "on the weekends" that your husband can drive you to where young children and their parents are "doing activities" together. Is there a YMCA near you that offers some swim classes or something, even a playground for young parents and their children? Is there a local library that has a Saturday reading for little children? Often Libraries will have a bulliton board that has activities offered even from other groups for young children.

All you really need is to find another parent that wants a friend for their child too and can offer to pick you and your child up to do things with together. You are just at a new place in your life and you have to find ways to "meet" other young mothers until you can find one or two that can pick you up for play dates or to do the park or other things that young mother's do with their children. Young mothers are always looking for ways to help their children have little friends to play with and also be able to have company to do things with, I was one of those mothers, and I had to find new friends too. I would have been willing to drive if a mother told me she could not drive because she had experienced a seisure a while back so she is not able to drive for safety reasons but is doing ok otherwise.

Your child is getting old enough now where you can begin looking for a playmate now. So take some time to look around and as I said, find things to do on the weekends until you can really "meet" other mothers, they "are" out there you know. You need to say a little more then just say "hi" and chit chat, get more forward and be honest about looking for a new friend that you can do things with that is willing to drive. You don't have to get into a ton of reasons, just keep it simple, but no one is going to "know your needs" unless you speak up. Remember, you already know you are a good person, a good mother and you have "good intentions", so as long as you have that, there is no reason you should "hold back" from being more open.

((Hugs))
OE