Friendships

Having friends is great—people to share the good times but to support and help in bad times. You might also want to share things with friends that you wouldn’t want to share with parents or teachers. Some friendships might only last for a short while if you have shared interests and some friendships may last for life. However, all friendships have something in common— trust! Do you trust your friends to do their best for you and vice versa? Ask yourself this:

• do your ‘friends’ talk about you behind your back or ‘gang-up’ on other people within your friendship group.

• do your friends encourage you to do or say things that you know are wrong.

• do your friends try to influence your life—who you see, where you go, who else you are friends with.

If you have answered yes to any of these questions, then think carefully about whether they are true friends! Also, think about yourself—are you a good friend to others? Are you guilty of any of these actions?

Be prepared to say sorry if you know you have upset a friend—you probably didn’t mean to but you should value your friendships with others as they can be a very important part of life. Also remember that our relationships with others change as we get older and learn about our own interests and values and who you are friends with might also change to reflect this.