Some of us imagined that when we had children, we would become a member of a special tribe, a global community of mothers where we'd always be able to find common ground and form strong bonds.

Ideally, that is the way it should be, but reality doesn't always live up to the ideal.

Making friends in general can be a challenge, and that doesn't always change when a woman has children. Many mothers find it difficult to hook up with other moms who live nearby, have common interests and children in the right age group.

Several factors complicate the situation.

• We're not as community-oriented as we used to be. Our culture tends to focus on individual and solitary pursuits like online games, and other electronic entertainment tends to dominate our limited free time.

• Women are extremely busy nowadays with work, errands, and shuttling kids to extracurricular activities. It may be difficult to find a friend who's available to hang out at the same times as you are.