Friendships often shift as children enter adolescence. The transition into secondary school already brings challenges in maintaining old friendships and forming new ones. It can take time for teenagers to find peers they truly connect with and build strong, healthy bonds.
As teenagers develop their identity, feelings, and abilities, they may begin to mix with different groups than before. As they discover particular interests and future goals, they often form new friendships with others who share those interests. This doesn’t necessarily mean all their earlier friendships will disappear – but their circle of friends may change.
At times, young people also come to realise that some friendships or groups may no longer be healthy or appropriate. As they mature, they begin making decisions about the kinds of friendships they want for their future and naturally seek out more like-minded peers.
Here are six helpful points to remember when talking with your teenager about friendships:
- Building a good friendship takes time. It grows as you spend time together and communicate.
- Honesty, care, and trust are the foundations of a strong friendship.
- To have a good friend, you need to be a good friend. Treat others the way you would like to be treated.
- Friendships require effort. If you neglect them, they may fade.
- Friends sometimes disagree, but it’s important to apologise and forgive.
- It’s okay for friends to outgrow each other. As people mature and develop new interests, their friendships often change.
Brian David
Chaplain
