5 Life Lessons for Choosing a Good Company of Friends

The individuals we select to spend time with can have an irreversible impact on our life.

Children haven't endured long enough to understand the value of a good buddy, as well as the consequences of choosing the wrong pals.

This is why parents must take the lead in guiding their children in making strong, long-lasting friendships that will help them grow as good human beings.
Here are five strategies to teach your child how to make good company of friends.

Be a role model for your child
Parents can assist their children in making better choices by modeling the types of friendships that are beneficial to their children through their own choices of friends.

Being a role model also entails modeling healthy friendships for your child by being a good friend yourself.

Also, explain to your child why you have certain friends, what you've gone through together, and how they support or value you as a person.

Bullying is not something good friends do
While it is vital to teaching a child how to deal with a school bully and to show compassion for the bully, it is equally necessary to emphasize that you can select whom you want in your inner circle and whom you don't.

Someone who continuously puts you down and speaks negatively about you, or who acts in a way that intimidates or manipulates you, is not a good friend.
Teach your child not just to stand up to bullies, but also to set boundaries and reject demeaning people from their social circle.

Good friends always want the best for you
“Fair-weather buddies” are common in life, the ones who only show up when things are going well for you. Similarly, you may have pals who seem to relish picking up after you when you're down, but who withdraw when you become too successful or when things are going well for you.

In both good and terrible times, a good friend is always there for you.
Teach your child how to spot a 'fair-weather' and a 'picker-upper' friend.

Good friends don't talk behind each other's backs
Nothing is more upsetting to a child than overhearing someone they consider a friend talking about them.
Consider this when evaluating a person's character: If they gossip with you, they will usually gossip about you.

A good friend respects others, especially those they feel less important than themselves, and defends the dignity and privacy of others by honoring personal and private information about them.

Good friends share unconditional love
A true buddy accepts you for who you are, flaws and all.

They aren't always trying to fix you up and make you out to be the perfect one who has been sent to alter you and guide you in the proper direction.
Teach your youngster that, while they may not be perfect, they are already wonderful to many people, especially the special ones.

Nobody in this universe requires 'fixing up' to become more lovable.

Final Thoughts
The capacity to walk alongside another human being who shares one's heart and enthusiasm for a given subject or activity is one of the most precious aspects of friendship. This could be anything from painting to dancing to chess.
Encourage your child to create friends in his or her field of interest, and even help them do so using social media.

What do you think?
Now we ‘do like to hear from you

1. What life lessons do you recommend for making good friends?
2. Did you ever have a discussion with your child about his or her company?
3. How do you represent your views about your child’s friend circle?