“How Do I Tell My Friends To Leave Their Kids At Home When We Meet Up?”

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I'm a single woman in my late thirties, and I don't want to sound like a total cow, but: is there a polite way to tell my friends that I just want to see them, by themselves, and without their darling (sticky, needy, screaming) kids? It's hard enough to find a moment that my old uni friends and I can all meet, so I was really excited to see them this weekend. We went for lunch, but two of them brought their toddlers, which meant the kids were the entire focus, and I left feeling frustrated and lonely. I don't want to feel resentful towards them, so I'm looking for advice on how to arrange some friend time that does not include said friends' babies.