To Be a Good Friend

To Be a Good Friend

Too many people want others to be their friends, but they don’t give friendship back. That is why some friendships don’t last very long. To have a friend, you must learn to be one. You must learn to treat your friend the way you want your friend to treat you. Learning to be a good friend means learning three rules: be honest; be generous; be understanding.

Honesty is where a good friendship starts. Friends must be able to trust one another. If you don’t tell the truth, people usually find out. If a friend finds out that you haven’t been honest, you may lose your friend’s trust. Good friends always trust one another to speak and act honestly.

Generosity means sharing and sharing makes a friendship grow. You don’t have to give your lunch money or your clothes, of course. Instead you have to learn how to share things you enjoy, your hobbies and interests. Naturally you will want to share your ideas and feelings. These can be valuable to a friend. They tell your friend what is important to you. By sharing them you help your friend know you better.

Something may go wrong at school. Talking about the problem can make it easier to solve. Turning to a friend can be a first step in solving the problem. So to be a friend you must listen and understand. You must try to put yourself in your friend’s place so you can understand the problem better.

No two friendships are ever exactly alike. But all true friendships have three things in common. If you plan to keep your friendships, you must practice honesty, generosity and understanding.