Special Friends

Over the years I've learnt that friends will come and go, but the people you're meant to stay with will last much longer if you work at your relationships.

At Primary school, my best friends changed so much I can't remember their names, and it's taken me until Year 11 to work out who the people I want to be with really are.

My first three years of high school were spent in a close knit group of girls who I did everything with. Unfortunately, it didn't do me much good, although it was fun while it lasted. Being with the same people all the time made me shy, and reluctant to talk to any of the other people in my year group.

By the end of Year 9 my best friend and I had fallen out over a misunderstanding, and were ignoring each other for the last two weeks of term. It seemed like I was completely alone, and despite reassurances from other friends, as well as my parents, I still felt like curling up into a little ball and disappearing.

The summer holidays passed far too quickly for me. I had problems sleeping at night because I was so nervous about going back to school. I had a few other friends in my year group which helped me a little, but my parents helped me get some of my confidence back by making me join clubs and talk to people at parties.

The first day of Year 10 was one of my worst school days ever. It was like starting a completely new school because I felt too awkward even to say hello to anyone. Even though I had been reluctant to talk to people before, I was determined to get my confidence back. I began smiling at people I knew slightly, which helped me make new friends. People I didn't know the names of were coming up to me and starting a conversation to get to know me because I seemed more outgoing.

I'm now part of a huge group of friends, boys and girls, even though I used to blush whenever a lad, or someone I didn't know approached me. I feel much more confident about my personality, and have developed into a cheeky, friendly person that will help anyone out.

My advice to anyone that finds themself in the same kind of situation would be to smile at people so that they know you are willing to be sociable and that you just need a little help getting started. If you've broken up with a group of friends, make sure you make the effort to stay on reasonable terms with them, because being friends with everyone will earn you the respect you deserve.

"Friends are quiet angels who lift us to our feet when our wings have trouble remembering how to fly"

Also in Friends and Family...

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Friendship Emergency! - What Can I do?
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My Best Friend

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Sarah :o)