Friendships

When I was growing up I was never anyone's best friend. I was a friend to many but never had that best friendship like you see in the movies and read about it Judy Blume books. My friends came and went easily, sometimes there were fall outs that made us enemies but not often (and those only came in high school when I was a petite little thing with blond hair).

I didn't have a sister close in age to be best friends with either, but I had 2 boys that I couldn't have survived without. My brother, 14 months younger than I, made my youth bearable because I knew he was there for me. In high school there was my cousin, C, in the same grade as me, we went though a lot of growing up together. I can't forget to mention my other cousin, Hairball, who was also there for me.

For my girls, I hope for best friends. I hope for someone who knows them inside and out and trusts them completely and would never hurt them. I want that for them, because I always wanted it for me. They have sisters to be friends with, but the age gaps will make that harder especially as they grow into teenagers separately.

Rhaynnon used to have a couple of really close friends, but since we've moved here, those friendships are not the same. We can't just call them up for playdates/sleepovers any time like we used to be able to. And Gwen has never really had that. But she is only 7.

How do you foster good quality friendships for your kids, when you don't live in a neighborhood? When the school isn't as open a campus as they previous school? How do you meet and make friends? I wish I had all of those answers because I don't want my girls' youth to be as lonely as mine was.