As nice as it is to have friends, and lots of them, the older you get, the more likely the number of girlfriends you have will decrease substantially. As one of my good friends pointed out, the older you get, the less willing you are to hold onto so-called friendships that breed drama or offer you nothing. But a lot of the time, you still go out of your way to salvage messy relationships for a variety of reasons: you’ve known the individual for a long time, they’ve got issues, they have good intentions, and so on and so forth, when in reality, you need to move forward for sanity’s sake. Some people naturally grow apart, and other friendships just straight up fall apart, either way, you need to know when to let go. Here are some signs to let you know when it might be time to let that friendship you’re single-handedly carrying like baggage run its course. And if any of this sounds like things you do, you might want to check yourself.
You Only Converse Through Facebook
If poking, news feeds and friend requests have taught us anything, it’s that everyone loves Facebook. Some might have an affair with Twitter, but no one completely ditches their Facebook account. But I think the point of using Facebook, or at least way back in the day before grandma and your baby cousin joined in on the fun, was to keep you connected to people. You know, help you reconnect with folks from high school, and long lost homies from undergrad. But lets be clear: you shouldn’t be trying to reconnect with your bestie on Facebook because the two of you have faltering lines of communication. And they definitely shouldn’t hear about all of your ups and downs, and successes and failures, through someone else’s wall post. Yeah, that’s not whatsup. This could be a sign that it’s time for that talk.
They Act Their Shoe Size
Immaturity takes so many forms. It can come in the way you handle small crises, to how you behave when you don’t get your way. A glaring example of immaturity that you, as an adult don’t need in your life, is that friend who lives to be involved in high school-like exploits. Think of the girlfriend who has you in the club trying to keep her from catching a beating cause she likes to run her mouth. The one who expects you to jump in at some point when things inevitably get ugly, even though you only came out to dance, not throw hands. Childish people with both a lack of a filter and the complete shortage of home training can be toxic and definitely a danger to you. Head in the opposite direction boo.
Your Lives Have Become Polar Opposites Thanks to Motherhood
It’s more than natural for the single woman to become the married chick and ultimately leave the late nights and Thirsty Thursdays behind for even later nights but with a side of the dirty diapers of motherhood. But when your conversations only concern her kids, and well, you don’t have any, or she talks to and treats everyone like they are a kid (save the baby talk for the babies ladies!), the opportunities for the both of you to hang out will become less and less–on purpose. Unfortunately, girlfriend has outgrown you this time around.
Indirect Friends: They Tell Everyone But You Their Beef…With You
Not all friendships are squeaky clean. Many go through the ringer, but it’s definitely possible and more important to salvage a friendship that took years to build than to implode over some drama that took a few days to spiral out of control. But open communication is the key to all happy relationships. With that being said, there’s nothing worse than a “friend” who fronts you out on Facebook or tells people you both talk to how unhappy they are with you, trying to make you look like a bad person. And of course, when you confront these individuals for their online hi-jinks, they play crazy or insincerely apologize for a lapse in judgment. Cool, calm and collected homies are essential, not ones that run out and play you to the left because of the smallest disappointments.
They’re Selfish. Point Blank.
We all have our selfish moments. Sometimes you gotta look out for self. But some people make being self-absorbed a 24/7 occupation, and those kind of friends can have you in these streets looking like a fool. Let’s see, there’s the girlfriend who rides with you everywhere, and asks you to bear the burden of finding parking and dodging drunks to go out at night, but won’t spare a dime towards the ever-gaping gas fund. And then there’s the girlfriend who goes out with you every weekend and gets wasted–leaving you to keep her dress down, help them get to the bathroom in time and pretty much play amateur caregiver on what you thought was going to be a fun evening. A friend that consistently thinks about themselves, aka, takers, can be more of a leech than a confidante.
You’re on Two Different Wavelengths
Ever tried to touch basis with a girlfriend you haven’t spoken to in a while, and found the conversation lacks depth? And by depth I mean, anything other than the continuous back and forth of “So what’s going on?” “Anything else going on?” Those sort of interview-like exchanges prove three things: You’re way out of the loop, you need to hurry up and get off the phone, and that you’ve both changed so much that the things you once thought you had in common are no longer of interest to talk about. When you’re on two different wavelengths, what should be a fun, no-holds barred conversation with a home-girl winds up feeling like a telemarketing call, or a convo with that second cousin once removed you know nothing about.
You Grow Closer–With Other People
I think it’s very well known that in life, we like to pair ourselves with people that are most like us. And a good way to tell that your friendship might be waning is to check out the individuals hanging with the friend you’re having issues with. The people she’s pairing herself with, you might not see yourself rolling with. Ever. They like to get caught up in the same drama, go out all night every night and of course, they agree with every nonsensical thing you both constantly disagreed about. And the same can be said about you. As you get older and friends start dropping off like flies, the people you start associating with outside of childhood friends could be more of what you’re looking for in a long-term friendship. Because it’s no longer about finding friends who like the same simple things, but rolling with folks who have the same goals and character, and won’t fall behind (or hate) as you move up in the world.
When You Need Them, They’re MIA
Convenience friends, as in, folks that only come around when it works for them. These might be some of the worst people to have in your circle. Mainly because you put so much trust and confidence in them as a person that when you’re going through your worst, things get even worse because they don’t show up to have your back. But let them be in need of something, or run out of reasons to neglect you, and they’re back cheesing in your face, trying to get on your good side. Wishy-washy friends are more of a burden than they are a blessing, so do yourself a favor and drop ‘em like a bad habit.
Just sayin......
No comments:
Post a Comment