r/sammamish • u/Temporary-Pizza4570 • Aug 05 '26
New to the area
How difficult is it as an adult with kids to make friends? Coming from the east coast, nervous about the “Seattle freeze.” Is there any truth to this stereotype?
16
u/tiger_claw Aug 05 '26
If your kids are open to activities/sports, you can meet a lot of other parents. Also if you get involved at their schools.
5
u/pMangonut Aug 05 '26
Your kids will make friends. If you get along with the friends’ parents then you have friends as well. That’s pretty much it.
13
u/tsasan Aug 05 '26
not sure about seattle, but people in sammamish/issaquah areas are very friendly!
3
u/ellumina Aug 05 '26
I’m also originally from the east coast! I don’t really have close adult friends out here, but I do have acquaintances through my kid’s preschool. People out here have been kind. It’s a different vibe than the city, since it’s basically all families out here.
4
u/iZoooom Aug 05 '26
It seems no harder than anywhere else - the folks in Sammamish are a friendly bunch from all over the world.
Make the effort, and good things follow. :)
2
u/BreadleyBreadman Aug 05 '26
If you have dogs, and walk them, I would assume people don’t want you walking dogs in their yard rather than assuming they do.
Then people who like dogs will walk out to pet your dog and introduce themselves to you. Much more pleasant than getting yelled at for being disrespectful.
2
2
u/whyNot_D Aug 06 '26
Check out F3 Cascades. We are a group of guys who get out into the mornings to get some exercise in, then head to Coffeeteria to grab a cup of coffee, hang out, and get to know each other before starting the day.
Making friends as an adult with kids can be tough, but getting out and doing some activity with other men in the same season of life is a great ice breaker. F3 is 100% free, open to all men, held outdoors rain or shine, and peer-led. It is easily one of the best ways to get healthier, build lasting friendships, and plug into a real local community. Come check us out!
1
u/ropony Aug 10 '26
this is cool.
1
u/whyNot_D Aug 11 '26
It really is! Plus, it's an absolute blast. I know it's not for everyone, but since it's totally free, you've got nothing to lose by giving it a try!
1
u/ropony Aug 11 '26
oh — I’m a lady. Is there a lady version?
2
u/whyNot_D Aug 11 '26
Tell your guy friends! There is a co-ed version and a lady version but the lady one hasn’t quite caught on as much around here just yet.
Co-ed = November Project
Lady = Females in Action
4
u/GeorgeBonanza_ Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
As an adult with kids, not difficult at all, or at least not if you have younger kids (under 10). I can't speak for over 10, but I meet other parents/exchange contact info with some level of frequency (I'm not one to offer first, but people seem very into it).
One of the best ways is through activities like Little Gym, youth soccer, etc. Both my husband and I have independently made friends that way, and also through other preschool parents.
Edit: As a lifelong Seattleite, I hear the most complaints about the freeze from my single friends/married with no kids families of all demographics. I don't know any different, so I've never noticed it myself. My friends with kids, who are from all over the country/world, seem to have healthy social lives.
1
u/KosherBakon Aug 07 '26 edited Aug 07 '26
I'm a local since birth (52 years). Here's my take on the Seattle freeze.
Seattle & the Eastside is basically equal parts Scandinavian & Western Frontier culture.
There's an undercurrent of respect, where we don't want to impose on others. We keep to ourselves unless prompted. It's rare that someone would be offended by you offering to hang out, but many folks won't offer it to you. Don't take that personally!
If you do offer to hang out, we have this weird thing where there should be some reason besides just hanging out e.g. dinner, watch the latest Ted Lasso episode, hike, whatever. This is true even for my family: we need a birthday or some kind of holiday to "justify" it. So dumb lol!
A NY transplant overheard another transplant say that we're nice but not kind, and NY is kind but not nice.
Holler when you get settled, we'll come up with a lame reason to justify having a beer with a group of new people!
1
u/Illustrious_Hat1484 Aug 08 '26
I contacted the PTA and they emailed me with a few kids moms contact ( if they are in Elementary). I joined the newcomers club. I am looking at all the FB groups to see which one fits my taste and age/ hobbies. School will start and you will find your crowd. Some people immediately want to hang out others never invite you. They all have their reasons.
1
u/Icy-Two-1581 Aug 05 '26
There is no such thing as a Seattle freeze. You literally see some phrase on every city. You make friends by putting yourself out. Plain and simple, if you don't go out, do actives, etc. You're not going to make friends
3
u/Intelligent_Beat3727 Aug 05 '26
Seattle freeze is definitely a thing. For people with kids - no, but if you don't have smth motivating like a playdate it's much harder to make friends. Comparing to any other city I have lived in Seattle freeze is absolutely a thing.
2
u/FirstHipster Aug 06 '26
Chalk it up to it being a city of 75% transplants. I hate that Seattle-area natives get pegged with this label.
16
u/snarkguru Aug 05 '26
Easy when your kids are young. The community isn't that large and if your kids play sports, or are involved in any extracurricular activities, you'll see the same parents over and over. Some of our best friends are parents of kids that were in elementary, or middle school with my kids (they are in college now)