Care and Feeding is Slate’s parenting advice column. Have a question for Care and Feeding? Submit it here .

Dear Care and Feeding,

I have twin second graders, and one of them needs a lot of “extra” parenting. He’s great and he’s learning new skills now that we have him in a special ed school, but this still means that at lots of events—Hebrew school, group activities—I’m usually with him while other families are socializing, which makes me feel left out. Do you have any suggestions on how I can navigate this? Right now I’m sitting in the hallway of the community center with him where we do Hebrew school while he listens to a podcast. I’m bored, I’m lonely, I’m not building my community connections. I don’t mind him opting out, if that’s what he needs, and it’s better than a mel

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