Dear Amy: I’m part of a group of women friends who met in college, 50 years ago. We got back in touch 20 years ago, and now meet a few times a year. At first, conversation was varied, with personal updates, talk about current events, shared book recommendations, etc. Very quickly, this changed to conversation that is nearly 100 percent about children. I’m an independent gal with no children. It’s not what I anticipated, but I’m happy with my life, especially with my fulfilling career. The other women have little interest in my profession, and have even poo-pooed what I do. I’ve tried to add different and relevant topics to conversations. The responses are either “I let (inject husband’s name) handle that,” or simply blank stares. They are all nice women, but these get-togethers with hours of conversation limited to children, children’s spouses, in-laws, relocations, etc., are unsatisfying and somewhat hurtful. I need a way to politely decline invitations until such time that I can withstand the onslaught of kid-talk — if ever.