I just moved to a new town, and it’s harder to make mom friends than I thought

“Brrrr… I guess winter’s back!” I awkwardly joked with a mom at preschool pick up today. We’d had a few warm days this week, but March in Wisconsin means that’s short-lived, and it was only a matter of time before our 19 degree mornings returned.

She and I were the first ones to arrive, so I saw it as a golden friend-making opportunity for me. Before the other moms came and distracted her with chatter about grabbing coffee and going to yoga and getting their boys together to play. I thought this was my chance to make a bridge.

As the new mom whose family just moved to town, I am not in that circle. My preschool son has no boys to play with, nor do I have a coffee dates lined up, or invites to yoga or to go for a run on warm days.

And that circle—as all women know—can feel like it’s impenetrable. Like once it’s formed, no one else is allowed in. Being the new mom has me feeling like I’m back in 6th grade. But instead, I’m a grown woman in my 30s.

I don’t necessarily think it’s intentional, either. Having just left a circle of mom friends back home whom I stood and chatted with and did this very thing with every day for years, I ask myself—did I isolate any new moms? Did I brush off someone who tried to make small talk with me, hoping to make a friend? And I honestly don’t know.

So I don’t begrudge the mom circle that stands tightly knit, content with their foursome.

But they hadn’t arrived yet today, and I saw my chance. The weather—an easy topic, right? I wasn’t coming at her with politics or organic vs. processed foods or vaccines. I chose something easy and non-controversial. Something that wouldn’t get me judged. Or get my kids judged as having “that mom.”

But, unfortunately, she didn’t bite. The one other mom standing with me at preschool pickup at my son’s new school just smiled meekly at my generic weather comment, and then turned away.

Okay. I guess that’s that, I said to myself.

So, I’m 38 years old. I’ve done the clique-y girl thing before. I know the game. I know the difference between “Yeah! I know! Brrrr! So you’re new, right? Where are you from?” and a fake smile followed by the back of your head. Not interested. I get it.

Up until recently, I didn’t really care that I didn’t have friends yet. We’ve been in our new town, new state, new school, and new house for a few months. But honestly, it’s only been the past week or two that the feeling of loneliness has hit me a bit. I’ve been too busy being Mommy.

All of my energy—every waking moment—went to helping my kids adjust. Helping them learn their new school routines. Ensuring they were happy and making new friends. Enrolling them in activities. Learning the bus schedule and memorizing the lunch menu. Figuring out which folder is the reading folder and which is the math folder. Where are the Boy Scouts meetings? Where should my daughter take gymnastics? What baseball team is best for my boys? We needed a pediatrician. And dentist. And eye doctor. And allergist.

On top of focusing on my kids, the last few months were spent researching electricians and plumbers and painters. When does the garbage get picked up and how do we dispose of our Christmas tree? Where can we get good Chinese takeout and get my car washed? Which grocery store has the best deals and where is Costco?

But now, all of a sudden, I feel like my children are all doing okay. The house is organized and we know how things work around here.

And now I’ve remembered that there is one more person who needs to learn her new world—me. I haven’t had a hair cut in months. I don’t have a doctor yet. Or a dentist. But most of all, I desperately need some girlfriends.

Maybe not the one who brushed me off at preschool pickup. And that’s okay. I’ve met some friendly moms who’ve mentioned getting together in passing. I am now navigating that awkward “when is too soon to text and/or friend you on social media so you know I want to be friends but I don’t seem stalker-ish” territory.

I guess it never gets easier, this making new friends gig. The one good part, however, of this experience—is that it’s given me a glimpse into my children’s world. I have gotten a taste of what their first few days were like back in December when we first arrived.

I was so busy unpacking and learning their school schedules and setting up their bedrooms that I didn’t take the time to sit in that experience with them. To see it from their perspective.

Now I wonder, was my daughter brushed off by a girl she tried to befriend? Was my son kept out of the circle? I now know, what that must have felt like. And I’m so proud of them for standing tall, walking into their new world, and facing that challenge head on.

We are all going to be okay, though. This is our family adventure—the good and the bad—and we will come out stronger on the other side. We will be better at facing new challenges. We will be experienced at making new friends. And next time there is a new family in town, and the mom asks me how I feel about the weather, I will be ready to give her the response I was hoping for—not the one I got.

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• True life: I miss my friends