The Friend Test

You might think that striking up conversation with fellow moms on the park bench as you watch your children play on the swings and eat dirt in the sandbox would be a great way to make new friends. But then your new friend’s kids come clamoring for snacks. She hands them organic apple slices  and homemade smoothies in a thermos, while giving you a sideways glance as you dish out bags of chips and box drinks to your kids, and you get the feeling that perhaps this friendship isn’t meant to be.

Luckily, I recently came across a quick and nuanced multiple-choice questionnaire to hand out at your neighborhood park. Take along a batch of these next time you go to the park, and you’ll easily be able to pick out the moms you find more relatable.

1. Nothing says “Rosh Hashanah is coming!” quite like:

A) baking round challah

B) the scent of honey cookies in the oven

C) the cacophonous sounds of all the shofar projects being blown at the same time