"I like you, but I don't LIKE like you."

I always say "I'm not accepting any more applications at this time. I received requests from hundreds of qualified applicants and the position of friend has been filled."

You sound like a peach, OP. Definitely do these potential friends a favor and let them know that you have too many friends and don't want to connect. Say it just like that - it will do the trick and spare all involved.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You might post this in the special needs forum

ROFL

that was a class-LESS thing to say.


and OP - if you feel you need to "limit the number of friends you have", then I hate to tell you that neither you nor your "friends" are true friends. There is no limit to true friendship -none.

Anonymous wrote:You might post this in the special needs forum

ROFL

Um, OP, you don't have to announce that you have so many friends and such a busy life that you cannot possibly accomodate another person as a friend - even if they are "great." You can simply turn down invitations with a polite no thank you. Trust me, people will get the hint and leave you alone.

You might post this in the special needs forum

Anonymous wrote:What is your line. I feel bad I meet so many great people but I have no time to connect.

"Everyone. I am so popular. I have SO many friends already, and people just KEEP wanting to be my friend. Help. I am so busy and social and engaged and I cannot possibly squeeze one more person into my fabulous universe. It's difficult to allow so many people to orbit me and I'm finding it hard to make room for a few more, no matter how badly they want to get to know me! This is so sad and difficult. If you've ever gone through this, how did you cope??"

Anonymous wrote:I have to be honest - I'm not beating away potential friends banging down my door. However, since I work full time, I am really only interested in making new friends who also have kids and would be interested in doing kid-related things with our families on weekends/evenings. I don't want to spend more of my free time away from my family.

Interesting. I work full time, but my kids are preteens, so by this time in life I have plenty of whole-family and couples friends. I'd like a close girlfriend or two, who does not work with me, to dish with and have girl time.

Anonymous wrote:Under what circumstances do you have to announce that you don't want to make new friends? If someone asks you to an event you're not interested, just say no thank you. Not sure you have to let them know that you're not interested in making new friends. I do think it's short sighted to rebuff friendship with "so many great people". But, hey, that's me.

+1 Why do you have to do anything but turn down a specific invitation that you don't have time for right now? You might continue to run into these people in the course of your life and decide in five years that you want to see more of them. It would be incredibly rude to proactively tell someone that you do not want to be their friend.

I have to be honest - I'm not beating away potential friends banging down my door. However, since I work full time, I am really only interested in making new friends who also have kids and would be interested in doing kid-related things with our families on weekends/evenings. I don't want to spend more of my free time away from my family.

Do you live in Bethesda by any chance?

Under what circumstances do you have to announce that you don't want to make new friends? If someone asks you to an event you're not interested, just say no thank you. Not sure you have to let them know that you're not interested in making new friends. I do think it's short sighted to rebuff friendship with "so many great people". But, hey, that's me.

I don't have enough friends, so I can't help you there.

What is your line. I feel bad I meet so many great people but I have no time to connect.