For kids, the OP had point 3: &quot;The solution for getting together with friends when you have small kids is other people with kids the same age who can play together.&quot;<p>What he forgot to mention was point 3a: &quot;The solution, when you have kids, for dealing with friends who have no kids, is to kick their asses out of your friends network&quot;.  It&#x27;s closely related to point 3b: &quot;The solution, when you&#x27;re married, for dealing with friends who stay perpetually single, is to kick their asses out of your friends network&quot;.<p>Note, I&#x27;m not promoting this behavior, I&#x27;m just pointing out, from observation, that this is how people behave.<p>My experience, as someone who has no kids and is unlikely to have any, is that the only way to socialize is to move into a big city where there&#x27;s a bunch of other ~35-45+yo people with no kids.  Otherwise, you&#x27;re going to be a very lonely person, because you simply will not fit into any other social group.