DEAR ABBY: I'm 31 and live in the Midwest. I have had the same friends since college and feel myself drifting farther and farther away from them. I feel guilty saying this, but all they want to talk about is their children. I have a wonderful 3-year-old daughter and another child on the way, but I have my own personality, too, apart from being a mother.
When I talk to these friends I'm pretty sure they don't listen or want to respond to me unless I'm talking about "kid stuff." Hanging out with them has become duller than watching paint dry. Am I the strange one because I don't want to talk about my little ones all the time? -- FEELS LIKE A FREAK IN IOWA
DEAR FEELS LIKE A FREAK: Right now, your friends are preoccupied with raising their children, with all of the milestones and cute things they do that go along with it. Eventually, they'll pull out of it. Please don't label them or yourself. What you need to do is recognize that it's time to widen your circle to include more people who share your varied interests.