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As the old saying goes, You are known by the company that you keep. People are drawn to the wrong type of friends for many reasons. Often when adults are drawn to the wrong type of friends they are looking for acceptance when they do not feel it from their friends and family. They may feel that these friends understand them and want to be around them. A person may believe that they are needed by these friends, but in actuality these friends are simply using them.

When a friend does not have your best interest and encourages you to do the wrong thing then they often take you away from those who truly do care and want the best for you. But it may be hard to give up these friends because being around them has become a habit.

Teenagers are frequently drawn to the wrong type of friends. It is tough growing up and this group has the hardest time when it comes to looking for and finding acceptance among their peers. They may not have had the best guidance in making decisions as they are growing up either due to their parents working and not always able to be there or there was no strong parental guidance in the young person's life. Sometimes a teenager may become involved with the wrong type of friends as an act of rebellion against their parents' control. Parents should make a habit of meeting all of the friends and knowing where their children are at all times. Checking in frequently and showing responsibility can show the parents if their child is spending time with the right or wrong type of friends.

One example was a teenager needed a steady influence to guide him as he made a habit of making bad decisions when he was left on his own. When he was around adults that cared about him and wanted the best for him then he had model behavior. But when the parents and other adults were working and he was left alone he sought out friends who were drinking and involved in gang related activity including using knives and guns in fights. This included friends who encouraged him to break into his parent's room and steal money. Then the teenager took off when his friends on a little vacation where they promptly robbed him and dumped him off in a strange city with no money and no means to contact his parents. He had a long arrest record by the time he was sixteen and had to be kept under constant adult supervision including time spent at a reform school. He finally ended up doing time in prison by the time he was an adult because he could not break the habit of being drawn to the wrong friends and choose his friends wisely. One adult friend of the family talked to him and told him that even if he was not doing anything wrong; he would get a reputation based on the friends that he hung around.

Every person needs to take some time out in their lives and reflect on where they are at in their life and where they want their life to head. This includes evaluating the people around them. Are your friends the kind that lift you up and want the best for you or is there a lot of drama in your life because of choosing to be around friends that drag you down? Only the individual with the help of people that truly care about them can make wise decisions regarding if they are drawn to the right or wrong kind of friends.

Learn more about this author, Carole Ligi.
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