There’s something truly special about having people in your life you’ve known for years. But just because someone has been around for ages doesn’t always mean they’ve actually been a good friend.
One woman learned this the hard way. Over time, everyone in her close circle became parents, except her. And somewhere along the way, it became expected that she’d accommodate their children whenever they met up.
That part didn’t bother her. What did was that when she needed even a small bit of consideration in return, it never seemed to happen—simply because she didn’t have kids.
After the latest meetup, she couldn’t hold it in anymore and took to Reddit to vent. Read the full story below.
Just because someone has been in your life for a long time doesn’t actually make them a good friend
Image credits: Ivan Babydov / pexels (not the actual photo)
One woman learned that the hard way when she realized she’d always been there for her group, but they never quite did the same for her
Image credits: Ron Lach / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pinkbunny1988
With more responsibilities falling on their shoulders, people might not have as much time for their friends as they used to
Time passing tends to affect not only people’s personal lives but their relationships with others, too—whether with family, partners, or friends. Within friend groups, while the emotional bond might stay just as strong, staying in touch as often becomes increasingly difficult as life gets busier and responsibilities start to pile up.
Studies show this starts earlier than most would expect. According to Pew Research Center, roughly 40% of teens in the US admit they’re too busy for their friends, while around a third say it’s their friends who don’t have much spare time to begin with.
For adults, the most common reasons for drifting apart tend to be coupling up or having children. Neither means caring any less, it simply means having to rethink how time gets spent.
But as this story shows, kids can affect more than just someone’s schedule. They can change an entire friend group’s dynamic in ways that are hard to ignore. And with women today having children at different ages, in smaller numbers, or sometimes not at all, like the author here, it’s easy to end up feeling like the odd one out.
In a perfect world, that wouldn’t change how you’re treated. But sometimes, it does.
Image credits: Pavel Danilyuk / pexels (not the actual photo)
Some women choose to have children later in life than they used to—or not at all
In 2022, for the first time, more than half of women over 30 in the UK were childless—a striking contrast to the 82% of women born in the 1940s who had at least one child before turning 30.
In the US, 2020 data showed that nearly 39% of women aged 30 to 34 had no children, and close to 22% of those between 35 and 39. On top of that, Pew Research Center’s 2021 study found a 7% increase since 2018 in non-parents who say they don’t expect to have children at all.
So while the woman in this story found herself in the minority within her friend group, her situation is far from unusual. What was unusual was being expected to cover the costs of her friends’ children, while her own needs, whether dietary restrictions or simply being allowed to bring her dog, were repeatedly brushed aside.
Unsurprisingly, readers sided with her, and many pointed out in the comments that her friends were treating her unfairly.
Image credits: Polina Tankilevitch / pexels (not the actual photo)
The author shared more details in the comments
Readers felt she didn’t deserve to be treated that way, and that her so-called friends were taking advantage of her
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