I’m A Homebody…
Question
I am a full-time homemaker, and I love it. I have a friend of eight years, and we both have children close to the same age. She is driving me crazy! She schedules events for me, my husband, her husband… She wants to be a part of my everyday life. If I pull back, she accuses me of being mad at her. I do have other friends, but I am also a homebody. I like to socialize a little, then retreat to my homemaking. She never stops. I have little time for anyone else. I am 37 she is 40. My husband and kids are starting to notice that I resent her phone calls. I stopped calling her. I try to do things with her, but she always wants more. Somehow I look bad to her family, as well as my family. Is something wrong with me that I am so content with just staying home? I am seen as unsocial. I know I am a nice person, but I resent this intrusion. When she plans things, my kids they know before me. This upsets things; I feel I have to go along to please my children. Thanks so much.
- Anne Landers bases her responses on her personal experiences and not on professional training or study. She does not represent herself to be a psychologist, therapist, counselor or professional helper of any sort. Her responses are offered from the perspective of a friend or mentor only.
- Anne Landers intends her responses to provide general information to the readership of this website; answers should not be understood to be specific advice intended for any particular individual(s).
- Questions submitted to this column are not guaranteed to receive responses.
- No correspondence takes place.
- No ongoing relationship of any sort (including but not limited to any form of professional relationship) is implied or offered by ‘Anne’ to people submitting questions.
- Anne Landers, MentalHealth.com, LLC make no warranties, express or implied, about the information presented in this column and all merchantability or warranty of fitness for a particular purpose or liability in connection with the use or misuse of this service.
- Always consult with your psychotherapist, physician, or psychiatrist first before changing any aspect of your treatment regimen. Do not stop your medication or change the dose of your medication without first consulting with your physician.
Answer
There is nothing wrong with wanting to stay at home. Some of us are just more social than others… Have you tried talking with your friend and telling her how you feel? She should not be upset with you as long as she sees that you are being truthful with her. Does she have other friends? Would it be possible to introduce her to some of your other friends? Try inviting some of your friends along the next time the two of you have plans. This would provide an opportunity for her to meet new people. It would also help her to realize that you have friends other than her. Hope things work out, – Anne
The content on this page was originally from MentalHelp.net, a website we acquired and moved to MentalHealth.com in September 2024. This content has not yet been fully updated to meet our content standards and may be incomplete. We are committed to editing, enhancing, and medically reviewing all content by March 31, 2025. Please check back soon, and thank you for visiting MentalHealth.com. Learn more about our content standards here.
We take mental health content seriously, which is why we follow strict content guidelines to deliver the highest quality information possible. All editorial decisions regarding the content published on this site are made by the MentalHealth.com Editorial Team, under the guidance of our Medical Affairs Team.