by M. Bustamante-Navarro

Created on: February 04, 2009   Last Updated: February 22, 2009

From the time we are children to adults, our parents instill in us morals and values. They teach us to make the best choice ever, in anything we do. One of those choices is friendship, they know if we choose the right friends we will be alright. That is why knowing when to listen to a friend is a very powerful thing. Never turn your back on a friend, for you will live to regret it.

Sometimes we believe our friends tell us to be careful with other people, because they are jealous. That is not always the case, a true friend is actually watching out for you, for whatever reason, they truly care. One of my good friends tried to warn me, about another friend, I had met after her. I would get agitated every time she would bad mouth my other friend. I thought she was jealous of my new friendship, but I was wrong. She tried to warn me about the outcome of this new friendship, but I didn't care to listen. She was right when she said my new friend would not only betray me, but also my family.

Some friendships can be very quiet. If a friend who used to be bubbly begins to withdraw herself from you, it is best to read the signs. Listen to what her body language is telling you. Most of the time it may be that she is being hurt physically, or mentally by her partner. Not only is she in trouble, but her life may be in danger, it may be a life, or death situation.

I ran into an old high school friend, who seemed very different, she had distant herself from the adults. She was a teacher, and to us it was very surprising that she would not have lunch with any of us anymore. Did we ever pay attention to the signs? No! A few months later we found out her husband would beat her. She had attempted to keep him away, from herself and her daughters. She decided to file for a divorce, the day before she went to the court hearing, her estrange husband broke down the door to her house, barged in with a knife in his hand. He locked the bedroom she was in, and began to stab her multiple times. His daughters could hear my friend yelling for help, but by the time police arrived she died, and he tried to kill himself. We all wish we could have known when to listen to her.

Our parents have taught us to listen from the time we were young. Stop, and listen to your friend, no matter what the cause may be. If it is something small, or something huge, don't ever walk away from your friend, or you will live to regret it. You will never get a second chance, if you just didn't sit there for a moment and listened. We should learn when to listen to our friends, for we have chosen them to guide and help us through our journey of life, and we should be able to guide them too.

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