https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Thu, 04 Jun 2026 09:14:50 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1628582 Mon, 12 May 2014 10:20:35 +0000 BSB 1628582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Great tips. I've done meetup groups to try to meet more people but they were always in crowded areas like bars and movies, where you can't really talk. </p> <p>Need to remember these tips. Although, we had a recently HB meetup and I really enjoyed meeting fellow HBers. We already have a chance to know each other online so that breaks down some the barriers and then seeing them in IRL helps, too. We should try to get a Seattle meetup again. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1628353 Mon, 12 May 2014 09:22:24 +0000 .twist. 1628353@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>So true, all three things are true with me. Two of my best friends move away, and while we still have had # 2 &amp; 3 I miss #1. </p> <p>Making new friends has been hard for me because I'm shy (and awkward!) but I have been trying, and I *think* I have been successful in at least one new irl friend ship (who may or may not be from HB!). :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1628314 Mon, 12 May 2014 09:13:42 +0000 erwoo 1628314@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Wow, so true! Most of our close friends fit into all three of those categories. Now that we're in Asia, I think it'll probably be the same but more in my case with meeting new friends. It's been tough hanging out with another family like we used to back in the states. I do miss that... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1628280 Mon, 12 May 2014 09:05:33 +0000 Amelieisme 1628280@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mrbee: This article really resonates with me! I have lived in my current city for 5 years. The first 3 years were my medical residency so it was easy to make friends because all criteria were met with my co-residents. After that ended, most of those people relocated and I've had difficulty making good friends! Always thought it was me, but apparently it's normal/situational. Thanks for the article! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1628157 Mon, 12 May 2014 08:17:26 +0000 kjpugs 1628157@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>This must be why I have no close friends in FL. No chance for unplanned interactions when you WFH and your kid goes to bed early-ish. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1628152 Mon, 12 May 2014 08:15:12 +0000 bushelandapeck 1628152@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Definitely true for us. All of my close friends now I've met in the town we live in, and they have children of similar age to DS. DH still has some close friends who are not nearby but he sees them very rarely and they have definitely grown apart in recent years. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1628143 Mon, 12 May 2014 08:13:00 +0000 snowjewelz 1628143@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I definitely agree w/ #1... It's really hard to keep a close relationship when you don't physically see each other! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1627587 Sun, 11 May 2014 17:39:36 +0000 Andrea 1627587@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes, true. All my new friends are mommy friends that live close by! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1627490 Sun, 11 May 2014 15:32:20 +0000 Mrs tartan 1627490@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I have 3 best friends, 2 of which the above definitely is true but one who lives hours away from me. The proximity isn't close but we speak on the phone which I guess these days is just as usual as meeting in person. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1627473 Sun, 11 May 2014 15:12:39 +0000 MoonMoon 1627473@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, so true. My closest friends are from high school, college, and grad school, and we're all so far flung. Those friendships are hard to maintain, new ones are hard to form, wahh. :crying: </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1627437 Sun, 11 May 2014 14:35:21 +0000 Cherrybee 1627437@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That certainly rings true for me, particularly condition number 3. During my adult life, I have made lots of friends at work - friends I am still close to many years later - but since working in another city (and commuting) I haven't made a single close friend. I attribute this to the lack of number 3 - in my case, the pub. I don't go for drinks with my work colleagues because I need to drive home afterwards so we're never in a position to let our guard down...... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/the-three-things-you-need-to-make-close-friends#post-1627430 Sun, 11 May 2014 14:26:49 +0000 mrbee 1627430@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Just reread this article about making friends as you get older... this quote was so interesting:</p> <p>&lt;&lt; As external conditions change, it becomes tougher to meet the three conditions that sociologists since the 1950s have considered crucial to making close friends: proximity; repeated, unplanned interactions; and a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other, said Rebecca G. Adams, a professor of sociology and gerontology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. This is why so many people meet their lifelong friends in college, she added. &gt;&gt;</p> <p><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/fashion/the-challenge-of-making-friends-as-an-adult.html?pagewanted=all" rel="nofollow">http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/15/fashion/the-challenge-of-making-friends-as-an-adult.html?pagewanted=all</a></p> <p>Thee three things you need to make close friends (according to the article) are:</p> <p>1) proximity<br /> 2) repeated, unplanned interactions<br /> 3) a setting that encourages people to let their guard down and confide in each other</p> <p>Our closest friends that we've made in recent years are other parents that:</p> <p>1) we live near<br /> 2) that we ran into all the time (either on the sidewalk or at the nearby playground) and<br /> 3) that we had playdates with (that turned into dinner dates).</p> <p>So these three things have definitely been true for me and Bee! How about you? </p>