Platonic Friendships (this implies opposite genders)

It's a fairly prevalent notion that once married it is unusual and ill advised to have platonic friendships as individuals. I received two sets of raised eyebrows and curious comments when mentioning I was going to run a race in seattle and visit with my single guy friend from college who I happen to have known since childhood.

Who would not agree with the following? Connectivity is the foundation of a community of human beings. Trust is the foundation of a marriage. Individuality is the foundation of a person's spirit. Isolation is the downfall of a relationship.

So why does it seem that platonic friendships are relegated to the domain of cyberspace via Facebook? Sure it's convenient when you lack time to socialize, but to develop true rapport, there is no substitute for face to face interaction, particularly if babysitters are on short call and two acquaintances have an interest that is nice to share with a friend.

For us, this includes running, cycling, climbing, tennis, salsa dancing, outings with the kids, dining, movies, concerts and other social invitations. Okay, so it's not like these things come up all the time anyway. It's great when we can get a babysitter for both of us to go out, but when we can't, we don't feel the need to sit out every opportunity or stay home, since we all know, stay at home moms get to spend plenty of time doing that.