Friendships

While your family and parents were important when you were younger, you’ll notice that your friends are becoming increasingly important. Your world might feel that it is revolving more and more around them.

Who you become has a lot to do with the company you keep. Discerning between good and bad company, and finding people who interrelate with your goals, dreams and moral values is important at this time. While it helps sometimes to have lots of friends, remember it is quality, not quantity. Now is the time to have the courage to say ‘no’ to anything that you don’t feel comfortable about.

In any healthy relationship, there are a few qualities that you want to look for:

• Care
• Concern
• Commitment
• Trustworthiness
• Mutual Respect

What does “love” mean – whether between ‘just friends’ or more romantically:

• Giving someone your time, energy, encouragement, patience and concern.
• Learning to relate to the other mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
• Respecting the other’s wishes and feelings – being sensitive and knowing that there are ways of showing another person what they mean to you by more than words.