There are countless stories, songs and poems about friendship and how emotionally important friendships can be. Sometimes, we consider close friends as families or even closer than certain family members. For those wondering if friends can be considered family, the answer is pretty simple.
We cannot choose our families, unlike friends. So, subconsciously we make friends who we would choose as family. And that’s okay as long as our friend’s importance doesn’t transcend family. “Can friends be considered a family?” This question itself reflects how important family is.
In short, you can definitely consider some of your closest friends as family. But there should be a clear separation between people who have loved and cared for you since birth and people you’ve been hanging out with for a couple of years.
There you have your answer. It’s short and simple. But there’s more to it. In the rest of this article, I will try to explain how important family is. Even though your friends are super important to you, there should be an extent to how much important they are to you compared to your parents, children, husband, wife, etc.
Can Friends Be Considered Family?
We meet all sorts of people throughout our life. In preschool, in high school, college, and university, in our workplace, etc. Among all those people, we choose our friends subconsciously. We don’t know who we want exactly, but those who we get are the perfect ones. At least for the time being.
We can’t always share everything with our family members. Like the first kiss or the test we failed, or something else. Friends are the ones we rely on in such cases. Family is not always the happy place we assume to be. Many deranged kids or drug addicts are the results of family disputes. In those stormy times, we seek a resort in friendships.
Friends who were always there for us, those who reached out to us in times of emotional crisis are a lot closer than families. They picked us up when the family threw us. So yes, good friends can always be considered as families. Just keep in mind you don’t neglect your family members. It is also important to know real friends which I will talk about later in this article.
Who is a Close Friend?
A close friend is what a friend is meant to be. The term ‘close friend’ has gained traction because not all friends are actual friends. Some are just there in their time of need. Or maybe some other interest whatever that might be. So, a close friend is a real friend, not some impostor.
Friends mean a lot more than we realize. The study suggests that close friends share genetics the same as fourth cousins. We don’t even know who our fourth cousins are, or if we have a fourth cousin at all. Maybe the friends we choose, share our emotions and feelings have the same blood running through their veins as ours.
How to Recognize Fake Friends?
We mix with lots of people during our adolescence. It’s very important to distinguish fake friends from real ones. Because someone pretending to be a friend can turn out to be more dangerous than an enemy. So, I am going to talk about some common traits of fake friends below:
They don’t value the relation
It’s quite obvious. Why would someone value a thing which is not real right? Fake friends are with you just to serve their purpose. You will notice when fake friends go to new places, meet new people, they become so invested in making new friends and actively ignore you. Also, they go ballistic when you try to talk to them about their weird behavior.
They only talk about themselves
Have you ever noticed that one friend who is always busy telling you how he feels? Yes, that’s the one we are looking for. People who are faking friendship with you will only talk about themselves. How they feel, what they do, what they don’t, how messed up their life is, and all that.
They will never care how you feel. Of course, why would they? They don’t consider your friends after all so why waste their ‘valuable’ time listening to your problems? Fake friends use you as their shrink to listen to their problems and soothe them. They will never consider that even shrinks need shrinks.
Your opinion doesn’t matter
Any time you think they are doing something wrong and you need to correct them, that’s your biggest mistake. At least they will make you feel like it. They do whatever they want and you just endure or ignore. If you have the guts to tell them they are wrong, you will be branded as ‘judgmental’ or ‘prejudiced’ or whatever they feel like.
They speak ill of you behind your back
It’s a common trait for not only fake friends but also every treacherous character in our lives. They try to make you look bad for reasons even they don’t know. A good friend who wishes nothing but the best for you shall tell your mistakes in your face. Furthermore, he will defend you if anyone insults you in your absence.
They always lie
Fake friends are pathological liars. They will lie to you when it’s required and when it is not. You can’t even tell they are lying because you wouldn’t even think someone lies for such silly matters. The reason behind it, they remain alert subconsciously to prove themselves to you. This applies to not only fake friends but also to all fake people.
Friends or Family: Who Influences Us More?
It’s debatable, to be honest. There are countless examples of kids going astray due to bad company. Also, there are incidents where the family worked as a catalyst. If you explore the lives of different notorious serial killers, you will see that almost all of them came from a deranged family. So, it cuts both ways.
Let’s look at the brighter side. A good friend can work as a shelter all the time. Their prudence and discretion can guide you in every turn of life. Even if your family life is turbulent and unsettling, a close friend can soothe you. Yes, a close friend. Not every friend is close and not every friend can be relied on.
At the same time, love and care can firmly bond all members of a family. Proper guidance from parents, as well as elders of a family, can show the young lings the right path. As the kids grow older, the parents must teach them how to choose friends and which so-called friends are to avoid. It’s unlikely for people to lose track if his family is always by their side.
So, we can safely say that both friends and families impact our lives way more than we can imagine. It’s always important to be influenced positively, it doesn’t matter from which one.
Conclusion
Good friends are a blessing. They sometimes prove to be more than family. Because your family has to be there for you, a friend is not endowed with that responsibility. So, what they do is from pure affection and dedication towards friendship. Once a friendship is long enough, you can always consider them as families.
I hope this answers the question “Can friends be considered family?” and other things you might have been wondering regarding this issue. Just always keep in mind the importance of family, as well as good friends and ensure that they don’t nullify each other.
I hope, after reading this article you have learned something about family, friendship and the impact they should have on your life. Take care.
