Rules of Engagement

I’m a social person. I like to chit chat. So one of the scariest things in quitting my job was being able to remain social. Yes, there are times that I can get away and hang out with my friends. But how does a STAY-AT-HOME mom socialize with others????

During my first few months of retirement, it was summertime. And although that allowed for me to really get out, in some ways it was isolating. I had a friend that was on maternity leave that I would have outings with. I also had no problems with talking to random people I passed. But overall I didn’t make any connections.

Then school time started and I was really eager to have Drew in a class with other kids whose parents were available during the day. Now that a lot of time has passed and I’m officially a stay-at-home mom who doesn’t always stay at home, I’m starting to build up friendships. It has made a tremendous difference in my life.

By blogging, I had this medium that allowed me to socialize in some capacity but needless to say I have found it very one-sided. And social media can be a helpful medium for connecting with others…just ask all those people who post their every detail of their life. But now that I’m officially in a rhythm – I have friends at the gym and at the variety of classes we go to so I am a very happy girl.

So now when is it appropriate to collide your physical world with your virtual one? Since I blog, in some ways I’m more eager to “friend” someone. The opportunity to get more readers allows me to put on my professional hat and be a little ambitious one. On the flip side, because I blog, I’m sometimes nervous of my new acquaintances reading my blog. After all, any experience I have may become a blogging opportunity. I guess its a double edged sword.

The appropriateness of combining worlds is like modern day dating rules. If you talk to someone once in a class, is it ok to “stalk” them on Facebook and “friend” them? Or is it necessary for the conversation to escalate to more of a friendship? How will you be perceived based on your “friending” style on Facebook? Could you be considered rude for talking to someone quite a bit but not progressing the relationship to Facebook? It becomes far more complicated in this day and age. How and when do you make your real life friends your virtual ones too?