[toomanybeersies]

It is just me, or does "at least once a month" not really seem like regular interaction with friends?

I'd have thought at least once a week would qualify as regular. Once a month seems really irregular, I couldn't imagine seeing my friends only a dozen times a year. Is this common?

[xwdv]

This is just how it is when you get older. You’ll see friends maybe once a month for an average of 4 hours or so, basically 0.5% of your year. The rest of the time you spend sleeping, eating, working, occupying yourself with other activities that make up life. One day you might just wake up and realize all your friends are dead and buried, and if you are the last one left then you know you’re next. It’s over. Where did life go?

[tempsy]

This really depends. Would say the biggest factor is kids.

Also, a revelation I’ve had as a millennial gay man is because the rate of having kids is relatively low among gay men in particular, anecdotally gay male friends stay in touch at a higher rate than straight counterparts even as we get older.

Not necessarily always a good thing, though. Especially in SF gay culture feels even more “Peter Pan” like.

[irrational]

Daily was common when I was a teenager. Every other day was common in college. Weekly was common right after college. Now with a full time job, family, house maintenance, etc. I probably average once every 2 months or so and I'm amazed I even have that much time to spend with friends. I'm looking forward to retirement.

[agumonkey]

I wonder how it was when people didn't move as far as today. Geographical proximity might surely help emotional proximity.

[AnIdiotOnTheNet]

Not really. Almost my entire extended family lives withing a single county and I basically never see them.

[irrational]

I live within blocks of most of my friends. But they are as busy as I am.

[factsaresacred]

I'd spend entire years seeing friends almost daily. In school, during the summer, and then when living together.

Now we see each other, at max, once every few months. That's just adulthood, and tbh it seems natural.

An active Whatsapp group and a quarterly weekend away together is enough to keep the bonds strong.

[Insanity]

Quality over quantity! :)

[Insanity]

Once a month seems about right, and for me it's not the same group of friends necessarily.

My wife and I have some couple friends and our schedules are hardest to align. (Kids, work, family time). And then we both have some single friends without kids, with which we can just choose any time and it will probably work to meet up.

That's just part of getting older and starting a family I suppose. Priorities shift a bit :)

[varjag]

It is irregular I agree, and it is common. Depending how you slice it though; does communicating daily over the net count as surrogate of interaction? At what rate?