Oooooh, You're My Best Friend

I want my daughter to grow up to be socially responsible, self-aware, courteous, and having a good sense of how to successfully work and play with others. To get there, I realized that my wife and I can only provide partial support. At some point, my kid's gonna need a friend.

Now, I'm not worried about finding a friend for my daughter to play with. For the first few years, I don't think my daughter will be too discriminating about her playmates. So long as they keep their drool and dagger-like little infant fingernails to themselves, any two babies can get along. But can their parents?

It's not finding a playmate for my daughter that worries me, it's finding one with parents that my wife and I can tolerate. We're not antisocial people, by any means. Many times, however, we just like to be left alone. Outside of my work environment, I don't think I've made any new friends since 2004. And I'm ok with that. It will be interesting to see how we evaluate potential playmates and what, if any, interaction we have with that child's parents. I'm not sure how it's going to work, is there speed dating for parent-friends?

I don't even really know how to approach someone as a friend anymore. I used to joke, shortly after getting married, that I lost any semblance of a "game." Not that I had much game prior, but I did have a little amount of that mojo that causes people to start conversations with strangers for ulterior reasons. I need to rekindle that mojo a bit so I can approach people about being friends. I have to find someone(s) that I (and my wife) is compatible with for the benefit of my daughter. I'm not trying to go home with anyone, but I'm trying to get their number -- their pediatrician's number.

So after a few years of relative social isolation, enjoying the antics of my friends as they hit on various strangers, I guess I'm going to have to get off the shelf. Somewhere, deep inside of me, is that game, that mojo, that guy who'll chat you up while sizing you up. Only problem is, I used to rely on a few drinks before I did that -- think I can sneak a flask onto the playground?