Hi there! Welcome to the friendship project!

We’re exploring female friendships in times of change — specifically when children appear on one side of the relationship.

From our own experiences and conversations, we’ve noticed that many women experience shifts in closeness, routines, and connection around this transition in the friendship.  

For some, this feels painful or confusing. For others, it’s subtle, unexpected, or hard to name. Often, it’s a mix of all of these.

Despite how common these experiences are, they’re rarely talked about openly.

Many of us find ourselves asking:

• Is it just me?
• What’s happening to this friendship and why?
• What can I do?

We want to find answers to that. We want to open the conversation and explore ways to address this topic in a productive and healing way.  

If this topic resonates with you, you’re warmly invited to take part in our questionnaire.

Through the questionnaire, we aim to understand:

• what actually changes in friendships around the “child question”
• how different women experience these shifts
• what helps, what hurts, and what often remains unspoken

It’s anonymous, flexible, and designed so you can choose how much you want to share.

What are we aiming to do?

At this stage, the project is centered on listening.

We’re gathering stories, perspectives, and lived experiences from women in many different life situations — including women who live childfree (by choice or circumstance), women longing for children or navigating fertility journeys, and women who have had children and noticed changes in their friendships.

This phase is about making space for complexity — without rushing to solutions.

Listening is not the end goal — it’s the foundation.

Based on what we learn, the project may evolve into a practical workbook that combines:

• lived experiences and shared patterns
• careful defining and naming of the dynamics, challenges, and experiences that often remain unspoken
• hands-on tools from psychology, communication, mediation, systemic coaching, and social research
• reflective exercises and concrete suggestions that can be used individually or together with friends

If developed, the workbook would aim to help women navigate changes in friendships with greater clarity and care.

If this speaks to you, you’re welcome to share your perspective.

By taking part in the questionnaire, you’re not only sharing your own experience — you’re helping shape the language, focus, and tools that may support others in similar situations. 

The questionnaire is open to anyone who has experienced a noticeable shift in female friendships because children appear on one side of the relationship.

A short heads up:

• The questionnaire has 11 questions.
• Some questions are short, some invite reflection, and some are simple checkboxes
• You decide how much you want to write and how much time you want to invest
• Everything you share is fully confidential and can remain completely anonymous. You choose.

About us

We are Tamar and Marie. One of us lives childfree, and one of us lives with a child — and this difference is part of what brought this project to life.
Tamar is a therapist specializing in women and gender. Marie is a systemic coach with a focus on diversity and societal power structures.

Together, we’re combining lived experience with professional tools from psychology, sociology, mediation, and systemic coaching — always with care, humility, and curiosity.

We deeply believe in the value and power of female friendships. And we believe they deserve recognition, resources, and thoughtful support — especially in times of change.

When we talk about female friendship, we’re speaking to anyone who relates to this experience — whether through being perceived as a woman, through living aspects of womanhood, and/or through any personal journey that brings you into this shared terrain.

If you’d like to share thoughts, ask questions, or simply be in touch, you’re welcome to contact us anytime at:
tamar.priel.counselling@gmail.com

This is a very open process so we are happy for any exchange on this topic. The more we know and talk with each other and create connections, the better we can support each other in life and our relationships.

If you’d like to stay updated about the project, you can also join our mailing list.

We are looking forward to hearing from you.

Tamar & Marie