by Kelli Wheeler
  
 
 
I bet I know you or you know me. We just don’t know it yet.

Let me explain. I was talking to my friend Heidi the other day and we both came to the conclusion that no matter where you go in our community (and even beyond), there’s always someone you have a connection to because of someone you both know.
 
Like “Six Degrees of Separation,” we agreed you can take anyone and have an association with that person in at most six connections, if you figure it out. But we’ve got a new spin on this phenomenon based on the connections people create through their kids and their activities. Which makes sense because it seems once you have school-age kids, involved in a growing number of extracurricular activities and events, not only does their circle of friends and interests grow—so does a parent’s connection to other parents traveling in these same circles.
 
That said, let’s test this theory I’m calling Six Degrees of Kid Association. Are you with me?
 
Exhibit A
I met my friend Heidi B. when her son, Blake, and my son, Logan, were on their first soccer team together. Step 1: Heidi B. is married to Mark, who my husband, Trey, worked for in college when Mark was still a young bachelor. Step 2: Trey went to college at California State University, Sacramento, and was in the same fraternity as Mike P. Step 3: Mike P. is married to my best friend, Michelle, who was in my original mommy group. Step 4: Michelle P.’s kids, Ashlinn and Katie, go to school at Our Lady of Assumption with Jackie and GiGi K. Step 5: Jackie and GiGi K. recently moved into our neighborhood. Step 6: Jackie and GiGi K.’s mom, Alison, is now a neighbor and a friend of both Heidi and myself.

Exhibit B
I write another column with a mom friend of mine, Jen H. Step 1: I met Jen H. through my original mommy’s group when a mutual friend brought her along. Step 2: Jen H. is friends with a mom named Maggie who she introduced me to as a fan of my writing. Step 3: Maggie and I realized we’re both friends with Kim B. up in Folsom who I met through Tricks Gymnastics when our kids were toddlers. Step 4: My daughter, Whitney, is on a soccer team with Macey, a friend she first met at Tricks Gymnastics. Step 5: Macey’s uncle married Martha, best friend to Kristen who is the sister-in-law to my other best friend, Jennifer M. Step 6: Jennifer M. started the mommy group where I eventually met my writing partner Jen H.
 
Pretty cool, huh? I can go trickier.
 
Exhibit C
I was at a kid’s birthday party in the Bay Area years ago thrown by my best friend from high school, Amy C. Step 1: At the party was a mutual acquaintance whose sister, Julie A., just moved in down the street from me. Step 2: I ended up meeting and going to a birthday party thrown by Julie A. where I ran into a sorority sister from Sacramento State, Julie R. Step 3: Julie R’s daughter, Sydney, was in first grade with my son, Logan. Step 4: Logan was in that class with Elizabeth F. whose family owned the house that my friend Julie T. bought. Step 5: Julie T.’s best friend from college in San Diego is Mary Ellen G. who recently moved her family to Folsom. Step 6: Mary Ellen G. went to my high school and was on the cheerleading squad with my best friend Amy C.
 
Or, an even stranger alternate connection. Step 5: Julie T. and her husband, Dave, came to a party at our house attended by Amy C. Step 6: Amy C. realizes she went out on a date with Dave T. in college. I could go on and on. It’s actually become a fun game of mine when I meet new people to see how we might be associated. I’ve done it sitting in the pedicure chair at KT’s Salon, in the grocery line at Bel Air and on the elliptical machine at the gym. I’ve even made a connection in line at Disneyland.
 
It can be as easy as asking, “Do you have any kids (or grandkids)?” or “Where do your kids go to school?” or “What are your kids involved in?” and the conversational road will likely reveal common ground.
 
I encourage everyone to give Six Degrees of Kid Association a try. Have a little social fun, amaze yourselves with the depth of connections in your community, and/or possibly meet a new friend you already have something in common with.
 
Just let me know when you figure out how we’re connected...