It can't be that i'm the only....

[Anonymous]

Young mother (30 years old) with a newborn in DC.... It's getting depressing when I stroll around to only see older woman with babies in and around DC! I did sign up for Stroller Strides (a fitness group-I highly recommend) which i'm hoping to meet other young mommies.....All my friends are still in the party mode (not married even) and then there is me - I love my life but just missing finding friends that are at the same level as me.....Well if you are a young mother living in DC - I would love to hear from you!

[Anonymous]

I don't think 30 is all that young. Seems about average.

[Anonymous]

Do you really think you are that different from a mother who is 35 to 40? I can see if you were 23, but come on. I'm 41 and I have friends (with and without kids) ranging from 30 to 40+.

[Anonymous]

hehe, you really aren't that young..

[Anonymous]

You're not alone! I just turned 30 and I have a 2 year old DD and a 10 month old DS. Don't know where you live but I live off 16th Street, close to down town Silver Spring and there are lots of "young" moms is my area. Would love to be part of a weekend (work FT) "play group" but don't know if there are any close to where I live.

[Anonymous]

I'm not in DC, but I had my son at 25 years old while in graduate school so I can sympathize with you. I eventually found friends with children the same age as my child (at Gymboree, playgrounds, etc), and it did not bother me that the mothers were older than me. What matters is that they have the same parenting philosophy, because otherwise you are going to clash!

[Anonymous]

I became a parent at 26 and find that the other parents with kids as old as mine around me in NW DC are considerably older. Ultimately, how much does this matter? It was most isolating when I had a young child and my friends were still single. Now they have babies and toddlers while I have a child in an intermediate grade. I'm always a little out of phase with the people around me. It has probably limited the intimacy of my own friendships with the other moms around me, but not so much that it continues to trouble me.

[Anonymous]

I hate to break it to you, but 30 isn't that young. To someone in their 20's you are now over the hill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate to break it to you, but 30 isn't that young. To someone in their 20's you are now over the hill.

Yeah, but around here, 30 is super young for having a baby. I had my first at 32 and was by far the youngest new mom at my company. Most started around 35, some around 40.

Obviously there is nothing wrong with either, I can see pros and cons to both, but I would have to say around DC that is young.

But, there was a mom in my mom's group who was 28. So clearly you are not alone!

[Anonymous]

I had my first child at 26. Always thought that was old enough.

[Anonymous]

yeah. we're out there.
i'm 28 with a 5 year old. that means when i was 23 with a baby, i was a complete anomaly and i was very lonely. i joined a "hip" young moms online group back then but it felt like a sorority that i didn't quite click with so i gave up.

i have no problem relating with people of different ages with fun personalities but there was a time when i felt like every parent group was all 40+ AND just very different from me. i think they also felt i was a baby having a baby because i look about 12.

after 2 years, one of my existing friends had a baby so we became better mommy friends and the kids became friends as they became older. and that's about the only other real peer mommy friend i still have.

[Anonymous]

Get over yourself. Really. My kids are 6 years apart, so I'm a younger mom among the parents of my oldest child's frinds and an older mom among the parents of my youngest child's friends. It does provide an interesting perspective, but I've never had trouble relating to either cohort and feel lucky to have friends in different stages of life.

[Anonymous]

I was 31 when I had my first. I don't think 30 is that young around this area for babies. When you start preschool or attending classes with your baby you will find a big mix: some parents younger, some your age and some older. I work with a man who will be 50 this year and his youngest is 9, a couple of years older than my oldest. His oldest is getting ready to start the second year of college.

Honestly, I have a huge mix of friends with a variety of ages. You shouldn't be put off because some of the moms you know are older.

[Anonymous]

I'm one of those older mommies you are trying to avoid But plenty of my friends had their first kids before they were 30, so keep looking. In this area, it is not uncommon to have a baby late in life, but I'm sure there are some younger moms around.

And I actually totally understand why you'd want to find a few younger moms to hang out with. I have definetly changed since I was 30. I'll admit it. I'm worn out and tired (but also much more self-assured in my ragged old self). I'm in a different place in my career. I have different values. And I have different friends (they have all made it past the party stage, I think I was the last).

[Anonymous]

I think the main problem is that being a parent isn't enough of a commonality to make friends. That's why I think it makes more sense to join groups that involve a hobby or interest like art, hiking, animals, etc. You're much more likely to find people you click with.