Friendship: What Makes a Good Friend?

When I think about what makes someone a good friend, I

think about all the characteristics of my own friends. My

personal definition of a friend, is someone who is always

looking out for me, and will help me if I’m in trouble. A

friend has to be someone I trust and who trusts me in

return. Another important characteristic in a friend is

someone who I can talk to, and makes me laugh.

One of the most important traits of a friend, is someone

who will help you if you need it. One personal experience I

had with this was when my friends, Mark, Steve, and I we

all out driving around late at night. We were on our way

home from going up to my camp at the lake, it was four in

the morning, and we were all tired. I was driving my car

and we had just gotten off the Northway when I ran over a

glass bottle and my tire popped. I didn’t know what to do.

We had no money, and were stranded. Millions of thoughts

were racing through my mind: what would I tell my mom,

how could we get it fixed, and most importantly how could

I stay out of trouble. My friend Mark called up his brother

to come and tow the car. His actions that night made me

realized that a true friend would takes risks for each other.

A strong friendship also depends upon mutual trust. If you

can’t trust each other then it is impossible to establish a

strong relationship. In the past, I have been able to tell my

friends personal feelings, and know that they would keep

secrets to themselves. One time my friend and I were riding

on my friend James’ lawnmower and we hit the side of the

garage. We promised each other that we would take it to

the grave. Even though we should have eventually told

someone, we kept it to ourselves.

Another quality I like to have in a friend, is someone who

can make me laugh. A perfect example of this is my friend

Bob. Some of the comments he would say would be so

outrageous; I couldn’t help but laugh. One time I traveled

to Montreal with my friends, and the entire four-hour drive

I spent laughing. Bob and I sat in the back seat cracking

jokes the whole time. This is important because it is good

to know that regardless of the mood, or situation I’m in, a

good friend can make me laugh.

When I asked other students their thought on friendship, I