Social circles for childfree and childless people

By Dann Alexander 

They say it can be harder to make new friends as you get older. I’ve learned from experiences around me that there is some truth to this. As someone who is childfree and introverted, it is not something that has worried me tremendously. I am truly fortunate to have a great group of friends in my life. Friends who are parents, and friends who are not.

For many without children, they might find some of their existing friendships are “lost to parenthood”. Their friends become parents and suddenly their lives are completely consumed with the household norms that come with children. Sometimes those friendships are not lost completely. The contact may dwindle to a once a year thing because scheduling just does not work out for a variety of reasons. It happens. Children are a significant commitment. Arguably, part of that commitment comes at a price of a reduction in ones’ social life.

There are social groups around the world where the central theme of the group is that people have no children. In most of these groups, fence-sitters (people undecided on the choice whether or not to have children) are also welcomed in. Most of these kinds of groups have turned up in several major cities. “No Kidding!” has chapters in Canada, The U.S. and New Zealand. You could also check the “Meetup” website. A general search of the web for these kinds of social groups may yield you some results.

You could consider leading the charge and start your own! Fact is, once you complete a search, you will see that there are not that many of these groups out there. Starting your own could be a workable option if you draw enough interest! This is exactly what a user of this website did. If you live in London and want to meet other childless/childfree people, then read her post. There could soon be a nonparents group coming near you, regardless of where in the world you are!

Making new friends as one gets older does not have to be difficult. I have found that the global community of people without children tends to be very supportive and informative. More are writing to tell their stories and offer support. Thanks to social media and websites like the very one you are looking at, people know that there are friends to be made out there.

Are you part of a social group in your area where the members have no children? If so tell us about it and where you are located in the comment section. If you wish, talk about the activities your group has been part of and what some of the plans for future events are.

Based just outside of Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, Dann Alexander is the Author of Planned UnParenthood – Creating a Life Without Procreating which is available at Amazon and other online retailers. Twitter @WriterDann