Breaking in is hard to do.

The secret of genius is to carry the spirit of the child into old age, which means never losing your enthusiasm.
-- Aldous Huxley

Warning: This post is not funny. If you're jonesing for funny, click here.

So, we moved to Burning Ham 7 months ago. The kids adjusted remarkably well. So well, in fact, I often wonder what's wrong with them. Mike digs his job. And, I've been having a laugh-riot breaking into the mommy-playdate circuit. Let me tell you. To say it's been fun is an incredible overstatement. It's sort of like saying you love colonoscopies which is a bad example because I actually told my doc that while heavily sedated. But, enough about that.

First off, if you live in Bham and are reading this, this post does not apply to you. You are one of the few people who have bestowed friendship upon me. For that reason, I need to put you on a pedestal and wash your feet. Or, at least that's what the bloggers at Momversation suggest. I have to admit, I'm with them on this one. And, it sounds like a lot of other moms are, too, sharing their stories of how making mom friends is hard to do regardless of who you are and the effort you make.

And believe me, my effort has been Herculean. I'm not a shy wallflower. I'm not stalker-needy. I'm not a gossiper or a back-stabber. I'm someone who likes to keep it real -- an easy-going low-maintenance chick with no drama or baggage. Yet, I'm stuck on the mom-friend carousel, spinning in circles, waiting to be claimed. I feel like a lost bag.

Tonight was Madan's "meet and greet" for his first-grade class. I showered. I brushed my teeth. I wore somewhat clean clothes. For the love of god, it was my first date all over again. Socially awkward. Conversationally challenged. Hoping for a connection. Why is this so hard, I wondered? Sure, in time, I'll find friends. But, in the meantime, being a Mom in a new town is a sorry existence, indeed.

I glanced at Madan on the playground, worried that he barely knew a soul in his new class, wondering if he had the same sinking feeling I did. For a kid who started over in January, it didn't seem fair. Why couldn't he have more familiar faces in his class? Suddenly, I spotted him perched on the slide, wearing an ear-to-ear grin. The kid was having a blast. And it struck me. For Madan, friendships are effortless. He doesn't screen. He doesn't compare. He simply accepts. If you want to play with him, he'll play with you. It's a beautiful characteristic that, unfortunately for many of us, dulls with age. As we get older, curiousity wanes and comfortability reigns. Bonds are cemented and rarely cracked open and widened. But who can blame people? New friendships require effort, energy, work. What Mom needs more dumped onto an already overflowing plate?

This mama.

To see the opinions of other moms on this topic, head over to Momversation.

P.S. Mom, if you're reading this, do not call me all worried and shiz and tell me I'd make more friends if I'd eat my vegetables and stop cursing. I'm a big girl -- I'm turning 40 this year -- and I'll be fine!