National Girlfriends Day is Today!
National Girlfriends Day is celebrated on August 1st each year. I personally think we should celebrate our girlfriends every day. However, having one nationally recognized day does make it a bit more fun and official.
Where would we be without our girlfriends? The women that hold us when we cry and laugh with us when we are happy. And always tell us the truth, even when it hurts. Those are the girlfriends you can always count on in a crisis.
I am not the best at keeping girlfriends. I have moved several times in my life and each time I tend to leave friends behind. I think it is because without face to face communication I tend to lose touch. My three younger sisters hang on to their friends much better and luckily they passed that gene on to my daughter. Even though her friends have scattered from our town for college and jobs, Hayley still manages to visit them and keep up on their lives.
What does friendship mean in today’s digital age and how do you encourage your daughter to keep friends that will support her throughout the life? I think the first thing to stress is that friends are not kept to be used. In other words, there has to be a genuine interest in the other person and a willingness to be there for each other. If one friends always takes and never gives, then the friendship will probably not last. This is true of any relationship.
I also believe that friends need to speak up when they sense a friend may be heading for trouble. This should be done in a non-judgmental way that conveys support and concern. Staying in touch in times of crises is also important for friendships to thrive.
And lastly, stay committed and connected. Dating a new boy does not mean not seeing your girlfriends. In high school, Hayley and her friends would frequently have ‘Girlfriend Nites’. Boyfriends weren’t allowed and the girls were able to keep girlfriend connections intact.
And as far as the digital age is concerned, Facebook does make it easier to stay in touch. But nothing replaces picking up the phone to hear a friends voice or getting together for a walk in the park to catch up.