While being a mum is one of the toughest jobs you will ever have to do, it is certainly one of the best and most rewarding. Because of this, it is common for mothers to want to not only express their joy at their role, but also try to get the rest of the world to have kids of their own. However, it is tough enough to maintain friendships after you have children without making things worse by putting your friend in awkward situations or asking questions that they really don’t want to answer.
Here are a five things parents should not say to their friends who have yet to procreate.
"When are you going to pop one out?"
Seriously, you probably don’t like when people ask, ‘When are you having another’ and it is no different to friends who don’t have children. While you may be close, starting a family is a question between them and their partner.
"You wouldn't want to come to the party anyway, it will just be full of kids and mums"
Your friend still wants to be a part of your life and whether they have children or not you should still invite them to your events. Just because they don’t have kids doesn’t mean they don’t want to share in your joy or your kids' celebrations and birthdays.
"It doesn’t matter, you wouldn’t understand"
Just because your friend doesn’t have children doesn’t mean they can’t be there to help you out when you are stressed or feeling overwhelmed. In fact, having them watch you from the outside will help you gain perspective on your own life. You don’t need to be living the exact same way for your friend to be able to be there for you.
"You don't appreciate your lie-in"
Having kids means most lie-ins are now a thing of the past, unless you are very lucky. But telling your friend that they are so lucky to get to lie in or have a lazy Sunday can actually be quite hurtful. For all you know they might be struggling to have children and long to have to get up early to a house full of little ones.
"Sorry it took so long to call you back, I was busy"
At the end of the day, we’re all busy and whether you have kids or not life is pretty hectic. Children do require a lot of your time but using them as an excuse not to call someone back is simply not fair. If your friend has taken the time to reach out to you, then you should do the same. A ten minute chat when your little ones are in bed or while you are making the dinner won’t interfere with your routine too much.
