Every Grown Woman and Grown Man Needs One

Everybody needs a friend who doesn't mind telling them what they're too afraid to tell their silly self!

A great friendship is sort of like a great marriage. Both parties should balance each other out. That doesn't mean that everything is 50-50. It's a balancing act. Sometimes it might be 60-40. There are times when the friendship is tested and one party can only give 30 percent while the other will have to compensate by giving 70 percent in order for the relationship to survive.

One friend shouldn't ever be intimidated by the other friend. However recognize when your friend is looking out for your best interest and only telling you what will benefit you. This a person who has been with you and your family through thick and thin. A person who has been around your children. One with whom you've trusted with your most guarded secrets. A person like that wouldn't ever purposely steer you wrong.

Does that mean that you absolutely have to take their advice? No, but later you may wish that you had. However, respect your friend's opinion enough to listen to it. After listening to the advice, if it makes sense, you definitely should consider taking it.

Again, it's a balancing act. A great friendship is a relationship that's symbolic of a good marriage. A married couple where both parties rely upon each other is the model. One person can't taste and the other one can't see. The blind partner can taste the food and say, "I know you're lactose intolerant. This pudding tastes like it has too much milk in it. You shouldn't eat this." The partner with sight can take their blind partner by the arm and caution them to, "Watch your step, we are about to step off of a curb." They compliment each other in order to make life better for both of them.

Some friends think that they're doing you a favor, by supposedly sparing your feelings and not telling you the truth. That's not the kind of friend that you want to turn to in times of a crisis. You want to turn to a friend who will tell you the truth and doesn't care if you don't like it. A true friend realizes that even though the truth isn't always what you want to hear, it's definitely what you need to hear.