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Member Since Mar 2019
Location: Cincinnati
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#1
I belong to a circle of friends for about 10+ years. 3 females including myself and 2 males who are gay. Over the past few years they’ve started distancing themselves from me and another female in the group. Albeit, I did get married and had children but they did still manage to include me in their social gatherings prior to the last few years. Over the past few years they stopped reaching out little by little. I’d only get invites to birthdays but not to their “wine nights” or “wine nights, general hangout, etc”. I started to wonder why I wasn’t being invited and voiced my concern. All they were able to say was “we just plan these things spur of the moment” I believed it at first, but then slowly realized it was a lie. My dilemma is, if they wanted to cut me out of this circle why didn’t they? Why are they only including me in on birthdays? Every time I’m invited to a “birthday” I feel anxious and stressed because part of me doesn’t want to go because of the hurt they’ve cause me to feel, while the other part of me thinks if I don’t go, I’ll never be invited to anything ever again. I have a birthday of theirs tomorrow and I’m feeling anxious all over again. Any advice is appreciated.
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Anonymous43949, Anonymous44076, Anonymous49426, MickeyCheeky, possum220, seeminglyreal
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MickeyCheeky
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New Member
Member Since Mar 2019
Location: Cincinnati
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#3
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Anonymous43949, Anonymous49426
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Elder...and a bit Older
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#4
As friendships evolve priorities shift...The fact that you are now married and raising children, may be a contributing factor in them picking and choosing when & where to invite you.
There is nothing stopping you from planning social nights out and inviting them to catch up...maybe see how that goes. __________________ The devil whispered in my ear, "You cannot withstand the storm." I whispered back, "I am the storm." |
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MickeyCheeky
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Biz82, lizardlady, MickeyCheeky
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#5
Sometimes when people have children it makes people without children feel really weird could that be it?
__________________ "I carried a watermelon?" President of the no F's given society. |
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MickeyCheeky
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Biz82, MickeyCheeky
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Perpetually Pondering
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#6
What changed with the other woman who is also being left out? How did the birthday party go?
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MickeyCheeky
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MickeyCheeky
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#7
I'm very sorry you're hurting. That would hurt me too, so I can understand your feelings.
What I wonder - is your circle of friends made up of all single people? And is the other woman who is being left out married too? I have found that singles prefer to hang out with other singles, and married people with kids prefer to hang out with other couples with children or simply just other couples. I think mainly because singles can relate to other singles better. Kind of like "we're all in the singles boat together!" kind of thing. And married couples also have more in common with other married couples, especially when kids are involved. I am just guessing here, but it's possible that's what's happening, if your group is mainly made up of singles. __________________ "Twenty-five years and my life is still trying to get up that great big hill of hope for a destination" ~4 Non Blondes |
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MickeyCheeky
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MickeyCheeky
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#8
Hello, so the 1 woman left in the circle is married with no kids. The woman who was left out like I have been is single. The male friends in the circle all have long term partners. I thought it was maybe something I said or did, but the other woman in my shoes feels the same way and we’ve both done nothing. We are assuming, but could be wrong, that the remaining female wants control and wants to be the only one left?? Her father passed away years back and since then, has only wanted male attention. But I didn’t think it would be so much so to push other females out of the circle.
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Have Hope, MickeyCheeky
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MickeyCheeky
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#9
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Oh Ok, I see. So that blows my theory out of the water. That's really hurtful. At least you know you did nothing wrong and same with the other woman being left out. Maybe you two should join forces & hang out together instead? It still sucks. People are strange. I cannot figure them out sometimes. Hugs to you.. I'm sorry you're dealing with this. __________________ "Twenty-five years and my life is still trying to get up that great big hill of hope for a destination" ~4 Non Blondes |
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Biz82, MickeyCheeky
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Biz82, MickeyCheeky
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#10
I'm so sorry you're hurting so much, Biz82 I agree with what all the others have already wisely said better than I ever could. It's a pretty strange behavior, but perhaps your theory about the remaining female is correct. How did she usually behave around you two? Has she ever expressed dislike towards you two? Perhaps this is just a natural part of friendship circles. Things can change and people can get away from each other. Perhaps the bond they have with you and the other woman is just not as strong? How was your relationship with them prior to this? Were you all very close? Either way, I'm so sorry you're going through all of this. If you feel like these birthdays invitations aren't making you feel good, I'd suggest to just move on and perhaps try to find some new friends if you can. It's not easy, I know, especially if you're already married with children and you're very busy. But I believe it's not impossible. Are there any clubs you can join based on your hobbies? Any activities that you may try out? Anything that may help you to meet some new people. Remember that it's not your fault this is happening and it has nothing to do with you. There's nothing wrong with you. This kind of things can happen, sometimes for no specific reason. It doesn't mean you did anything wrong. I'm glad you're already aware of that. I hope you'll be able to find new people to share things with. I'm sure you can do this! You're a strong, wonderful person. I hope things will get better soon for you. Remember that we're here for you if you need it. Feel free to PM me anytime. Let me know if I can do something to help you. Wish you good luck! Let us know how it goes. Sending many hugs to you, Biz82. Let us know if you decide to go to the birthday tomorrow and how it goes if you decide to go. There's nothing wrong with deciding not to go if you're feeling too anxious. Birthdays are supposed to be fun, not stressful, after all! I'm sure you'll be able to get through all of this. You're a strong, wonderful person
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Anonymous43949
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Location: Cincinnati
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#11
Thank you guys so much for your advice. I decided against going to thebirthday. It actually feels like a relief not going because I knew I’d be feeling uneasy hearing about their “hangouts” and it would only make me feel worse. We were all very close and we all did everything together, then I started noticing they slowly started pulling away. I do have other friends but I think I’m just bummed about this circle because we all went through a lot like, deaths, births, and marriages together. Thank you so much for your words of positivity and encouragement!!
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Anonymous43949, Anonymous49426, Bill3, Have Hope
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#12
I think you made the right decision by not going to the Birthday.
It may be time to hang out with your other friends, since you want people who genuinely want to spend time with you, rather than do so out of guilt or obligation. |
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#13
Hello Biz82. I am sorry you feel that you have lost some previously valued friendships. That can be really tough. Ultimately, if you feel that someone (or more than one person) is pulling away from you I think it's best to let them do so. Although it's natural to question why and to want to understand, I don't think trying to figure it out will bring you peace. If I understood you correctly, you tried asking a while ago and received a nebulous response. I completely understand why you wouldn't want to go to the birthday party. I would not assume that you have done or said something wrong. Things often shift with friendships. It would be nice to know why but we often don't find out.
I say focus on the present and think of some nice plans for you and your other friends. I think you said you have friends who are not in that particular circle. Sometimes when I am in doubt, I just tell myself that all is well in the Universe. I may not understand it but it's so much bigger than me. And it's okay. I wish you peace and a bright future. |
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Anonymous43949
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New Member
Member Since Mar 2019
Location: US
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#14
My brain read the OP and thought of two different scenarios. One good and one bad.
Good Scenario: Your friends invite you to birthdays because they happen on the same day each year. If their "spur of the moment" claim is true, that makes sense seeing as every birthday is expected a year in advance... until someone dies lol. Bad Scenario: Your friends only invite you to birthday events because they want the present. That's it. They do not invite you to other things on purpose, just as you feared. I don't know you and your friends so I don't know what's going on here. Whatever it is, I hope you get to the bottom of it! Friends are very important to mental health and the "right" friends make all the difference. For instance, there seems to be some trust issues going on here and you should look into why. Like, why don't you believe them when they say events were "spur of the moment" and why does it bother you when they do things without you if you're busy with your family? The aforementioned questions aren't me attacking you, btw - just questions I wanna know if you've asked yourself. |
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Anonymous43949
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Location: Oxford, MD
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#15
I don't have much to add to all the amazing insight posted before but I wanted to send you some healing energy and add another voice of empathy to the group <3 <3 <3 . The thing is, we won't ever for sure know why they are slow-mo rejecting you like this (which is both dishonest and extends the pain) until someone decides to share. So let's say, best case scenario, they do. We no longer include you as much because XYZ. You argue their decision. Either a) they still don't let you back in and you get more hurt or b) you get back in but you're kind of left wondering well are they going to change their minds again? Or, what if (with you in the group) they decide to ghost someone else? Is that really something you want to be a part of? Why not spend time with folks who are kind and compassionate and open instead? I know it's hard to start over, believe me but having this experience is going to help you be an amazing and inclusive friend to someone else some day and I'd hate to see that person miss out on what you have to offer <3.
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