Creating friendships and risking it all

Keren Baker is a mum of 6, including 2 teenagers, 1 tween and she’s still surviving (just!) here she asks you about good friends how did you meet your best friends?

The Internet is a great place for meeting new friends. We can be anyone we choose to be. I could be a stunning, tall model with a perfect physique or have a photo-shopped picture for all you know. We seem to readily accept each other online but real life can be a different story.

How many really good friends have you made recently?

Here’s one story…

My number 4 had started school. Being a big family means that in the school playground I’m often flitting between friends & places on the yard (I have to go to different doors to collect each kid from). I’ve got good friends further up the school years but you have to begin again when one of yours starts in Reception.

This day, I’d invited a new Mum for coffee. We were chatting. She seemed really lovely.

There’s always a dance. You kinda skirt around topics and try and suss out each other. Gently tiptoeing, trying to work out are they a ‘fit’ with you? Will they judge everything you say negatively and are they one of these perfect types who would be way too high maintenance?

I decided to risk it. We were talking about cliques in the playground.

As I opened my mouth, I knew that what was about to come out would head one of two ways. She would quite possibly run screaming for the hills wondering who this intense person with possible stalker like qualities could be. Or she just might agree with me.

‘Umm, don’t you get a bit fed up of the superficial conversations? There are only so many chats about nappies, reading books and lost uniforms I can take’.

I continued a little more hesitatingly…

‘I’d much rather have real friends that talk about genuine things. I sometimes find those types of friends much harder to find’.

There. I’d said it.

I’m a girl who often wears her heart on her sleeve. It was a moment of either tentative bravery or abject madness but I was wondering where all the people prepared to risk real friendship had gone?

Rather than a raised eyebrow and a quick excuse to dash off, there was complete relief on her face. It was like a barrier had just been demolished. We laughed and connected, and over the next few weeks and months we began to become firm friends. In fact over the past few years she has become one of my most valued friends. We have shared our hearts and I’m richer for it.

I don’t try and make every new person I meet my next best friend, but sometimes it’s just worth risking honesty and laying yourself bare.

I can’t guarantee it’ll work every time – but who knows how many amazing people you might miss if you don’t?

Do you stick with the friends you’ve got and would you ever try this risky strategy?!

Keren Baker works from home mostly doing Freelance Craft design and demonstrating. She loves being creative and that often extends to creatively avoiding the ironing or ‘creating’ cake. She lives in the ‘North’ although she spent a couple of years in the south. For downtime (of which there’s not a lot), you’ll find her making stuff , watching period dramas or dreaming of a day or two by herself somewhere warm and quiet!  She has a craft blog– which is the bread-and butter business/inspiration blog & a brand new solely parenting blog 6 kids plus me

Keren tweets @CraftStampInk.

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