I thought up this week’s blog topic when sitting at a friends house one sunny Sunday a few weeks back. There I was, wine in hand, music playing, adorable dogs running about my feet and in total bliss.
One friend was watching the sport inside to keep cool, the other was busying about the house. A little later we were both reading separately. And later we were all chatting about whatever topics came into our heads, nothing in particular.
Granted I am very close to the friends in question but it made me think how different it is socialising as an adult compared to as children. Not once did we ask each other ‘what shall we do now?’ Not once was there that awkward waiting time thinking up some exciting venture so that your house is remembered as the fun one and everybody fights to be invited round. Quite frankly, I consider all houses with an amount of fridge space dedicated to alcoholic beverages the place to be these days.
As a child I was very sociable and showed signs of my adult organisation traits by sorting my social life well in advance. I’d have friends round all the time and with our garden being designed for kids and our parents being lenient as ever, our house was just that, the fun house. We had a trampoline, Wendy house, paddling pool and a huge chest full of toys and games so coming up with ideas of things to do was never difficult.
I recall many times as a child when round someone’s house a series of long winded silences when asked what you’d like to do. I am referring to fairly young children here, I was drunk by thirteen, but still. You’d spend an hour or so deciding and by the time your Mum came to collect you you’d only just started the chosen activity so didn’t want to leave. This is when hide and seek came into play and you’d hide from the parents thinking seriously that they’d never ever find you. Sadly, they always did.
Adult socialising on the other hand is extremely different. It takes a text saying ‘pub?’ or a suggestion of an after work gin and tonic round a friends and everybody is game. You don’t even have to chat that much because you enjoy the sweet wine seeping into your veins. Even friends that may not have seen each other for years will reunite over a beer or two. It’s just how it is and I’m not complaining in any way, merely just noting the difference.
Even sober socialising as an adult doesn’t take much invention. You go to a friends, catch up over a cuppa or something ice cold and then leave. Perhaps watch a bit of tele, re-locate to the garden or even head out for a walk but you don’t ever do much.
I realise that much of this difference is to do with the little energy we have to socialise as we get older. No longer are we hyper children who are never warn out because the hardest task of the day is tying our own shoelaces or picking which colour cup to have our juice in. Instead we become warn out slaves to the rat race who only want to chill on our time off and chilling with good company is the perfect way to get together.
Especially in the recent scorching weather I am quite happy that I am no longer a child wanting to play man hunt or badminton in the garden in my free time. I’m happy to be an adult, seeking pub gardens and good company to laugh with.
Ultimately what I am trying to express through my long winded observations is that socialising as a child takes thought and organisation, imagination too, whereas socialising as an adult takes a few bottles of wine, chilled.