True friendship is wanting the best for the other person, and giving up selfish desires for the good of the other person. How can you know if someone is a true friend? Well, a true friend will:
- Talk AND listen
- Acknowledge your feelings
- Show empathy
- Praise, encourage, and inspire you
- Be loyal and trustworthy
- Treat you as an equal
- Never hide the truth
- Respect your decisions.
Now, remember that nobody is perfect, but a good friend will do these things most of the time. And they won’t do these things:
- Gossip about others or about you
- Want you to do drugs or other destructive things
- Want you to break rules
- Not respect your values, beliefs, or parents
- Ask you to lie for them
- Expect you to take the blame for their wrong
- Use you for what they want
Take a few minutes and think about your friendships. Are your friends true friends? Or do they look more like the second list? What kind of friend are YOU?
We want to hear from you! What do you value most about your friends? Tell us in the comments!