Friendships, now that’s a topic my husband and I have spent lots of time discussing.
Here’s my thing with friendships. I tend to make them easily, and I have lots of friends. I love friends! But I have no really close friends. And when friends move to a different state or when I move, the friendships pretty much end and I start all over. I’m still in touch with some old friends through Facebook, but without Facebook we honestly would probably never hear from each other again.
I have friends I can call for help, friends I can set up playdates with, even friends who would watch my kids if I asked, but no friend that I would just call to vent to if I was having a bad day. No really close friend who knows all about me.
Before you start thinking that I have no one to talk to, I have 5 sisters. So, I can always call one of them. And I have several sister-in-laws that I can call. And even my own mom or my mother-in-law are great people to talk to. Do, I call and just vent, or cry? To be honest, I think I was a teenager last time I did. Not that my life is perfect. But who really wants to know about my horrible, awful day?
So, maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by so much family, I don’t actually need a separate close friend. Or maybe I’m just afraid of anyone getting too close. Honestly, it’s hard to say. Maybe it’s because I’m not good at sharing my feelings? Or maybe I’m just looking for something that doesn’t exist. Or, maybe I just don’t need a close friend right now?
Who knows? At this point, I’ve given up on trying for a really close friend and I’ve decided to just enjoy the friendships that I have.
I have friends in my homeschool group. We chat about life and all sorts of homeschool questions and topics. I have friends at church. Friends because my husband is friends with their spouse. And now that my husband is a small business owner I’m even starting to make some great friendships with some of the other small business owner’s spouses. Basically, I’m surrounded by plenty of friends. And I think that I should enjoy those friendships to the fullest and not worry about this elusive “best friend” that I’ll never be able to find or keep. That’s been my goal the past few years, and I’m quite happy with the friendships that I have.
I would say that my biggest challenge with friendships is I tend to keep my personal feelings hidden which makes it hard for others to get to really know me. So friendships take a long time to develop.
I want to know, what is your biggest challenge with friendships? Or, what is your best piece of friendship advice? Tell me in the comments below 🙂
This #BloggersTalkingAbout series features amazing bloggers writing from the heart. Continue reading more by following these links. #BloggersTalkingAbout Friendship by Joanne, Friendships by Jenny, The Importance Of A Chosen Family by Nicole and Why You Need an Accountability Buddy by Alicia. If you’re a mom/female blogger, join us in our group, Bodacious Bloggers.
I don’t really make new friends but I have a handful of really amazing friends–guys and girls that I can call on. For me, they’re less judgmental than family can be sometimes. That’s why I call them my chosen family. But, if you’re super close with your family, that’s awesome! Many people are not.
Sometimes, the best friend you can have is your family. They still count as friends if they are in your support network.
My biggest challeng is that I listen to everyone else but it seems like they are all too busy when I could use a listening ear. I just sort of do my own thing most of the time… so hard to find those connections.
You definitely aren’t alone! I lost my mom about 12 years ago and it is hard to find a good friend to vent to. Honestly, a lot of people are sort of unreliable or flaky when it tends to being there when we need it the most. I can totally relate to not being able to find someone to vent to!
Thanks! I’m glad to know it’s not just me 🙂
You’re not alone in that feeling. We’ve found that people are just too busy to really stop and listen to others. For that reason, we don’t have any real close outside friends either – we have to just rely on each other.
As I have gotten older, I have found it harder to make close friendships. I think it is because I am so busy and trying to juggle my kids friendships. However all I need is one great friend and I am set.