Be Honest. Being honest is VERY important to a friendship. We need to tell the truth, even if it is hard sometimes. Trust has to be earned in order to be true friends, and we can’t earn someone’s trust if we’re not being honest.
Show respect. Respect means that we value what another person has to say and how they feel. You can SHOW respect to your friend by being kind to them, by being thoughtful of them, and by listening to what they have to say.
Respect privacy and boundaries. Respecting privacy and boundaries is important in ALL of our relationships. Be sure that you respect your friend’s privacy and boundaries.
Be loyal by standing up for your friend. Make sure you do NOT gossip or say bad things about your friends behind their back, and stand up for your friends if OTHER people say bad things.
Stay in touch with your friends, even if you don’t get to see them often. Let’s face it, EVERYONE is busy so we can’t really use that as an excuse. Take a few minutes every once in a while to let your friend know that you are thinking about them and care how they are doing.
REALLY listen when your friend needs to talk to you. This is VERY important to any healthy relationship. And if your friend asks you to keep what they say private, make sure you do that! The only time you should say something is if it is a HURTFUL secret. A hurtful secret is a secret that makes you feel bad or uncomfortable, or that would hurt you or someone else.
Be there for your friend in good times and bad. It is important to BE there for your friend, both in good times and bad. When there is something to celebrate, be happy for your friend and celebrate with them. When there is something sad or hard going on, be sad for your friend and help them through those rough times.
Be willing to work on your problems together. Almost EVERY friendship has problems once in a while, so we have to be willing to work on those problems together. It can be hard, but it can also be well worth it!
