Have you struggled to make new friends as a mom? Someone who understands the problems you face daily as a new parent? It can be difficult as a new mom to make new mom friends. We seem to be secluded in our own little worlds of parenting and running a household. But the truth is, we need social interaction. And making new friends who have similar interests and concerns, such as being a new parent, can help ease our anxieties.
Reading can help us reach out to find friends who are like-minded. And in this article, I’ll show you how you can use your favorite pastime as a way to meet new people who may become your new best friends. This is how to make friends who read.
Take a Book With You
Maybe you often take public transportation or you might have older kids and take them to the park. If you’re going to a public place, be sure to take a book with you! By reading in public, those around us are always curious what others are reading. Some may even strike up a conversation if you’re at the park with your kids. As they may well be there with their own.
Or you might be too busy to read in public. Strike up a conversation with someone else who’s reading. Ask them about the book and if they enjoy it. You might be surprised at just how easy it is to talk about books. This leads the conversation to movies, shows, you get the idea.
Join a Book Club
Not interested in striking up a conversation with a total stranger? What about joining a book club? Not only are book club members avid readers, but they’re willing to talk about their latest read with other members. Not all members might be parents, but there’s always a chance. Plus, meeting for a book club offers a great excuse to get out of the house and take a break from the kids. Go ahead, leave the babysitting to Dad and take the evening off and go meet some fellow readers!
Readers Are Great Friends
When you’ve met a few people who also love reading, you can feel confident that you’ve made some great friends. Because, according to some recent studies, reading makes you a better friend. We’ve all heard that reading makes us more empathetic. When we read, the area of the brain used for narrative comprehension also lights up when we empathize with others or try to figure out what they’re feeling.
But reading also improves our ability to create and maintain friendships. According to the study, “Reading encourages people to develop in particular ways after personal reading experiences.” Readers are often mistaken as introverts who are unable to make friends, as we often find our friends in books rather than the real world. This may hold true for some, but when we read and identify with the characters, we’re able to better identify with those around us.
And what makes a better friend than someone who is able to identify with you and empathize with your struggles on a deeper level than most? You can find the article, Science Says Reading a Book Makes You a Better Friend, right here.
Go Make a Friend!
If you struggle, especially as a new parent, to make friends with similar interests, but you also love to read, be sure to try out these suggestions on how to make friends who read. Read in public as a way to strike up a conversation with someone else who may have read the same book. Or do the same with someone else who’s reading in public. Join a book club and get out of the house for an evening. (Dad can handle it!) And when you’ve made some new friends, know that you’re in good hands because readers make for some awesome friends!
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to share it! You can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and Twitter. You might also like my article, The Importance of Reading New Genres. It’s about branching out into new genres and how it improves your reading life.
