American women
 

I have been here for 6 years with my wife and in all that time I have never made any real friends who are men. However I have never had any problem making friends with American women. Actually all my friends are American women who I hang out with. In England I always had my mates and whichever ones of us were dating would bring the girl along much to the annoyance of everyone else if we were just having a laugh, beer etc. Here it's the opposite. Is it just me or has anyone else (other than the geezer from Coldplay and Hugh Grant character in EVERY movie) had the same experience ?:confused:

Re: American women
 

Maybe they feel threatened by your British manliness;) or they are worried their women will swoon at the sound of your accent:lol:

Re: American women
 

I've found exactly the same thing. I think a big part of it is that so many people here establish their riendships in college and keep them for life. They're not really interested in having new friends when they're still hanging out with their old fraternity brothers and the guys on their high school football team. American men also have a habit of judging Englishmen as either effeminate and gay (so they keep their distance) or a potential threat because their girlfriend thinks your accent is cute (so they keep their distance).

Re: American women
 

I think that it begins in school, children over here tend to not be as split as boys and girls (at home the boys would stick together and play football and the girls would play together). My daughters have way more friends here that are boys then they ever did at home, I kinda like it.

Re: American women
 

i've always had many female friends (much to the chagrin of my wife) however whilst I've been here I have made more male friends than female... guess I must be strange?

Re: American women
 

I agree with Kate, their doesn't seem to be so much gender rivalry, and I think that's a good thing. Before we moved here the TV shows my daughter was watching always had boy versus girl themes, it annoyed the hell out of me.

As an aside, I also think older kids (teenagers) in the neighbourhood look out for and will play with younger kids more readily and happily here. At least where we live.

Re: American women
 

I agree. My son has friends who are both boys and girls (he is 8) and the teenagers are great for playing with the kids and talking to them. He has to ride the school bus with the High Schoolers in the afternoon and have no problems. I think it helps with both school and after school activities being more co-ed at an early age. Even so, my son does love Horrid Henry!

Re: American women
 

What's that then? The modern version of Just William?

Re: American women
 

I haven't made any friends since I've been here...but then again I never had any in the UK either. After 40 years I have begun to realise that people don't like the truth.

Re: American women
 

Pretty much but they are funny and my son has a lot of the audio CD's read by Miranda Richardson (aka Queenie!!). Here is a link http://www.francescasimon.com/HHmain.htm
:)

Re: American women
 

Yes, it is my husband's favourite gripe about living here. :D

Re: American women
 

I would say it's my wifes favourite gripe about living here rather than mine.

Re: American women
 

She gets annoyed sometimes when I go out to dinner with 5 women aged 19-25 but I think here it's much easier to have platonic friendships with the opposite sex than in England. I agree with the guy who posted earlier about men here. Some of them especially in the south seem to think English people are either gay or have a superiority complex. I have also encountered a lot of the frat boy "brothers" thing as well which is pretty exclusive so I guess that's part of the reason for lack of male friends.

Re: American women
 

If you go out to dinner with 5 women aged 19 - 25.... without your wife there..... and it is genuinely platonic...........then the guys from the south have got you sussed mate.

Re: American women
 

Do you pay for the whole bill? just curious.