Maintaining Friendships with the Childless Couples in Your Life as a New Parent

So you are the first, of one of the first, couples in your circle of friends to have a baby. How will this change your relationship with your childless friends? Can your keep your friendship just as strong as before? Of course you can. Here are some tips to help you out.

Watch what you say. Spending the entire time you are visiting with your childless friends talking about your baby is an obvious no-no. While it is inevitably going to be a topic of conversation, try to talk about other things too. And certain baby related information should be considered completely taboo. Talking about pumping breastmilk or how corn comes out in a diaper should never enter the conversation.

Show how "normal" you life still is. Even though you realize that a baby really does change your life considerably, try to show your childless couple friends that your life still has some semblance of normalcy. If they invite you out to a concert, and in reality you just want to go to bed at 9:00 because you are exhausted and the idea of actually fixing your hair seems completely impossible, take them up on it anyway. You will show them that you are still committed to the friendship, and you will more than likely have a great time too.

Invite them over for a late dinner. Invite your friends over for a late dinner. They can enjoy the company of the baby for about an hour or so, then it will be your little guy or gal's bedtime. That way your friends get to interact with your baby, but you will also have some time for adult conversation alone.

Talk about the good and the bad. When you do talk about your baby, don't act as if everything is wonderful, or as if everything is terrible. Every parent knows that there are wonderful parts and there are also really difficult parts to caring for a baby. Paint a realistic picture of new parenthood for your friends. If they choose to have children in the future they will thank you for it.