The Advice Column II

344

Advice Request
This person feels like they have no real friends.

Answered Submission
Hello!

I'm sorry to hear that you feel this way. One thing to remember is that, no matter what happens with friends, you are not—and never will be—unimportant or a burden. It's tough feeling like your friends aren't true friends and not being able to have someone to talk to and be real with; I completely understand how you feel. I think everyone feels this way at some point during school and even in adulthood.

My advice for you would be to keep doing what you're doing: keep being kind and being a good friend—even if they don't seem to be a good friend to you. It's best to be the bigger, better person, and I'm sure that your kindness will shine through and help you make true friends. If it's possible, I would also advise that you try to speak to as many people your age that you can. A friendship might develop from speaking to more people.

True friendship is something that can be difficult to find. I know as I've gotten older and left school, many of my friendships have gotten lost along the way, but if the effort to keeping a friendship alive is put in, then a true friend will always be there. Sometimes, you might not even recognise that your friendship is a true friendship because you're still young and have a lot more to give to yourselves and to each other later in life. I suppose what I'm saying is that, in order to recognise a true friend, you need to be patient, trust each other, and have fun with each other.

Also, I know you've said that they talk about you behind your back. Have you tried talking to them about this? You should tell them how it makes you feel; they might not be doing it intentionally and might not even realise they are doing it.

In the meantime, while you're building up friendships, we are always here to talk to.

I hope this helps,

The Advice Column Team