Friendship

Best friends, good friends, childhood friends, Facebook friends, friends, Instagram followers, Twitter followers, mom friends, school friends, neighborhood friends, work friends, acquaintances, frenemies.....How the hell do we all have so many categories of people we associate with?

It doesn't matter how old I get, I still have to learn the same lesson - not everyone you meet or hang out with is a friend, but that doesn't mean they are not important. Lessons are learned each day from the many people that walk in and out of your life.  What you choose to do with those lessons is up to you.

As adults trying to set an example for our children, I think we put too much emphasis on the "bestie." If you see me once a year, once a month, once a week, once a day- it doesn't matter. What matters is our conversation, the time we spent together, and how you made me feel.

If I feel happy and enjoy our time, I will want to have another play date. If I feel anything other than joy perhaps we should have less play dates. This is what I am trying to teach E1 and E2. Forget the categories, forget the term bestie, and remember how the person makes you feel.

Did you have fun? Did you feel safe to be yourself? Did you play nicely together? Did you laugh? Did you feel happy?

With school looming around the corner, I am reminding myself to remind E1 and E2 how to be a friend and what to expect from friend. Luckily, at this age their expectation is low - did you have fun?

I know friendships will get more complicated as they get older and I hope with having exposure to all types of friends and my age, I will be able to help them ride this roller coaster.