Lots of things change over time, and while some friend groups stick together through it all, the dynamics might inevitably change, too.
For this redditor, things started shifting when her friends started having children. The group grew bigger and bigger and the OP—the only one without kids—was expected to go with the flow, which entailed covering part of the children’s expenses. But when she asked her friends to make accommodations for her, the group wasn’t willing to.
Many things can change in life, but friends tend to stick together through thick and thin
Image credits: Ivan Babydov / pexels (not the actual photo)
This woman was expected to cover the expenses of her friends’ kids, but the friends refused to accommodate her dog
Image credits: Ron Lach / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: cottonbro studio / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: KATRIN BOLOVTSOVA / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pinkbunny1988
With more responsibilities falling on their shoulders, people might not have as much time for their friends as they used to
Time relentlessly passing by tends to affect not only people’s personal lives, but their relationships with others, too, be it with family members, partners, or friends. When it comes to friend groups, while people might remain as close as ever emotionally, it often gets increasingly more difficult to stay in touch as much, as their responsibilities tend to increase over time.
Data shows that even teens limit the amount of time they spend with their friends due to certain obligations. According to Pew Research Center, roughly 40% of teens in the US admit they are too busy themselves, while roughly a third say that their friends are the ones who don’t have that much spare time.
When it comes to adults, a common reason they can’t make as much time for their friends is coupling up or welcoming a bundle of joy into this world. While it doesn’t mean they care for their friends any less, both scenarios typically entail having to make changes in the way they devote their time.
But, as the OP’s story shows, children affect more aspects than the time spent together, which can sometimes become a cause for disagreements; especially when not all friends are in the same boat. Nowadays, it’s likely to be the case quite often, as women tend to have children at various ages and quite a few of them choose not to have them at all.
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Some women choose to have children later in life than females used to or not to have them at all
Daily Mail reported that just a couple of years ago, in 2022, for the first time ever, more than half of women over 30 were childless; in the UK, at least. For comparison, as much as 82% of women born back in the 1940s had at least one child before turning 30.
As for women who do not have kids for one reason or another, based on 2020 data from the US, the number stood at nearly 39% for women aged 30 to 34 and close to 22% for those between 35 and 39 years of age.
As a matter of fact, the number of people not expecting to have children in their lives has reportedly been on the rise. Pew Research Center’s 2021 study found that there has been a 7% increase since 2018 in non-parents who say they are not too or not at all likely to have children someday.
Even though the OP didn’t have children of her own, she was expected to cover the expenses of the women who did. That, and the fact that, while she would cover said expenses, the friends wouldn’t count in her dietary restrictions or accommodate her dog, left fellow redditors siding with the OP; they shared their views in the comments under her post.
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Fellow netizens didn’t consider the OP a jerk, she replied to some of their comments
