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For those who suggested child-friendly activities...that just isn't an option right now. Most of us work white-collar jobs and some of us are in grad school so the only time we really have to hang out are Friday and Saturday nights usually after 7. Not a lot of child-friendly places are open that late and after a very long day at work we all just want to sit around and unwind.
This post from Devix way back toward the beginning of the thread addresses the family-friendly-activity suggestions. Picnics in the park and other daytime activities are not what this group is about.
As far as M&M wishing
to continue life "as normal" as alis suggested, I don't see that at all. What I see is M&M wishing for everyone else change their "normal" to suit M&M's "new normal". If they wanted to continue life as normal, even a little bit, they would at least try to compromise and find some way to attend the adult events - even if they alternated one of them going out and one staying home as was suggested earlier.
Even when my kids were little, there were times that I wanted to go out without them for some adult time. And they were
my kids. So really, it's not all that weird that people who don't have kids don't want to spend much of their leisure/social time with other people's kids.
As for the stark divide between the groups, I think that's a pretty broad generalization. As an example, when my kids were babies/toddlers, my DH & I were very good friends with a couple who had no kids and never intended to have any. We still got together with them regularly. Sometimes we hung out at our house and sometimes we got a babysitter and went out. It was a compromise. And they were happy and willing to meet us half way. Of course, we didn't impose any unreasonable expectations on them when they were at our house. We all talked and laughed and did whatever, same as we always had.
And to clarify, that's just one example. There are plenty of child-free adults who are friends with adults who have kids and who keep their friendships. It's just a matter of both sides giving a little bit, and as has been clearly established by Devix, in this case, one side, M&M, are not willing to give at all.