Friendships are extremely important, but they can also be very tricky at times, especially when you’re a teenage girl. High school is a time to figure out who you are and who you should surround yourself with. Looking back, here are a few crucial things I have learned about high school friendships in my time here at Sion.
The first piece of advice I have is to find your “chick flick friend group.” This is something that took me a minute to discover and really understand the importance of. A friend group fell into my lap my junior year and I slowly realized what true girlhood is. I am not a corny person, so that is saying a lot. Girls’ nights full of digital cam pics, car rides and occasionally inviting certain boys over have left me with great memories.
On a more serious note, I have realized the great support that comes from a friend group with different characteristics is so valuable. From helping each other through tough break ups to getting ready together for homecoming dances, my friend group has been there for my hardest and most amazing moments. Each friend has something special to offer for different situations in my life. There is nothing better than a sleepover after a party and recapping our nights together while we go through pictures and eat our favorite snacks or a couch full of girls cheering up a friend going through a breakup. This is the “chick flick friendship.”
Huddling together for a hug, a group of seniors smile for a picture on September 1. Senior Madison Herald picked out her white top and then got ready with her friends at senior Mary Kate Lillis’s house. “I am so glad we got some photos together because we can take them to college with us,” Herald said. “I love these girls and I want to have this memory throughout my life.” (PHOTO | Molly Miller )
Contrary to my earlier point, having close friends who aren’t in your friend group. In high school, groups naturally come together and girls find their place, but the most dangerous thing you can do is fall into a single group of friends. You may think you have the most perfect friend group, but if you spend all of your time with them, it can get foggy. I can’t stress enough how nice it is to text my close friends at Blue Valley North and get input from friends not involved in Sion stuff. This applies at Sion too, I normally don’t hang out with some of my closest friends on the weekend and that gives healthy space to continue fueling those great friendships. Find your people, and never stop expanding your “best friends list.”
Lastly, and objectively the most important, it is not that deep. Forgive and forget. We are all teenage girls desperately trying to figure out life and we all make mistakes, I can admit I have. I have learned the best thing you can do is play devil’s advocate when you are upset. “I am mad she did this because it was so wrong, but was it really? Will this really affect me that badly?” The number one thing I hear these types of arguments happen with involves boys. I am guilty of this too. My mom always says the boy is the one who was committed to you and owes you, she’s just doing what you did in the beginning. We all have our moments of weakness, so give your girlfriends grace and take time to learn from your mistakes. Trust me, you’ll want to graduate alongside many friends.
