Poll: How long do you keep friends?

[Keela]

Well, I've been having some trouble maintaining a few friendships (that is, the only ones I've really tried to maintain).

My backstory: My dad was in the military for a very large portion of his life, and most of mine. Specifically, 10 or 11 of my 15 years alive. I've lived in seven states (USA! USA!), with 1-2 year intervals between most of them, on average. I've been in my current state, going to school in the same area for almost 5 years now, but because of my old habits and mindset, I've been moving between groups I've felt comfortable in constantly through the years. I'm starting to run out of groups to join, and my drifter-type lifestyle doesn't work so well in a long-term residency.

In short, I'm somewhat detached and... can't think of a term I like, so "not very close to" my friends will do. And what really blows is that many of my friends who I try to stick with seem to be blowing me off, but that's a bitching session I'll keep in reserve a while longer.

Am I weird? Does anyone else ever feel this way? Leave a story or two on your way out, if you'd like.

 

[Robyrt]

Depends on the kind of friendship you're talking about.

I still keep in touch with the friends I grew up with, but the friends I met in school I only meet once every few months.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

23 now and still friends with the guys I was hanging out with when I was 13. Don't see them nearly enough anymore (due to me moving house and everyone doing there own thing) but we keep in touch and meet up every so often for a drink. You know your friendship is still strong when you can see your friends after a couple of months and it feels like nothing has changed at all.

 

[Sgt. Sandstorm]

So far I got 5 "core" friends... And I've known them all my life , 20 years and counting, and I sure plan on keep then for at least 20 more

 

[sms_117b]

As long as I can, still have a friend from pre-school, a number of friends from primary school, a number from secondary and a-levels, others from work.

I'm not the most interesting person, but I do try keeping them around as long as I can

 

[BlumiereBleck]

I try to keep them as long as possible. But something happens, people drift they do

 

[Mr Scott]

Foreverrr... because I'm not dead yet.

 

[Dango]

Well I actually hate most of my current friends, but they've ben my friends for my entire life.

 

[Fawcks]

I lose a lot of friends when I move, but I make them fairly easily.

I just hate making friends now. I got too close to some, and...

 

[no oneder]

I also had to move quite lot of times during my life. I was born in Oakland, CA and lived there the first 11 years of my life, where I was a normal kid. Then mom got a journalistic gig in Mexico City, where I lived 3 years. Then, dad got a job in the U.S. embassy in Vancouver where I've been living ever since.

Now, I keep kind in touch with most of my friends from all these places, but the ones that I would say are the best ones are the ones that I have right now, here in Canada.

 

[Lawnmooer]

When I reached Secondary school (I arrived somewhat in the middle of the years, due to it previously being a High school) I found myself having so many friends of different ages and "Social groups" (The 3-12 people they hang around with in their area of the school in breaks) I often found myself drifting between them all instead of sticking with my closest friends.

My theory behind why I did this was a mixture of my "Troubled" past (People wonder how I cope with what happened in my childhood...) and the fact that I was and still am in puberty, I find that I don't feel many emotions and don't really keep and serious relationships... (Recently one of my friends I've had for 7 years left my college course and I didn't care, I've also not had a real girlfriend for a while... Just a few days/weeks at most)

But so far I've kept friendships for all my life, I talk to most of my friends alot (It would be all of them if people used something other than Facebook nowadays...)

 

[loc978]

depends on the caliber of friend... somewhere between 20 minutes and a lifetime.

 

[Bobbovski]

I keep friends until we drift apart for natural reasons or if I stop liking the friend for some reason and decide to cut him or her out of my life.

I've had most of my current friends since childhood (10-23 years now). I've known my oldest and best friend since I was like 2 years old. But I'm pretty much the opposite of you. I've lived in the same place my whole life until very recently. And many of my friends moved out of their parent's house fairly late and after that they didn't move very far.

Hmm... well I wouldn't say that you're weird but unusual maybe? You seem to have had a pretty unusual childhood. But I don't know... maybe you just feel that way because you're a teenager?

 

[The Man With the Soap]

Well, I've been having some trouble maintaining a few friendships (that is, the only ones I've really tried to maintain).

My backstory: My dad was in the military for a very large portion of his life, and most of mine. Specifically, 10 or 11 of my 15 years alive. I've lived in seven states (USA! USA!), with 1-2 year intervals between most of them, on average. I've been in my current state, going to school in the same area for almost 5 years now, but because of my old habits and mindset, I've been moving between groups I've felt comfortable in constantly through the years. I'm starting to run out of groups to join, and my drifter-type lifestyle doesn't work so well in a long-term residency.

In short, I'm somewhat detached and... can't think of a term I like, so "not very close to" my friends will do. And what really blows is that many of my friends who I try to stick with seem to be blowing me off, but that's a bitching session I'll keep in reserve a while longer.

Am I weird? Does anyone else ever feel this way? Leave a story or two on your way out, if you'd like.

You tell your father that some random guy on the internet says thank you for what you do for all of us. (I make a habit of thanking a soldier in uniform whenever I see one, where ever I see one.)

On to the topic at hand, I keep friends for about one to two years. We always seem to just drift apart, but it never bothers me for some reason. Hopefully, I will develope some longer-lasting friendships when I join the Marines.

 

[Monkfish Acc.]

I'd say from five to eight years. I haven't really been alive long enough to make and keep friends for much longer, what with all the moving around I have done.

I suppose I have a few distant friends I have known since before schooling age. But this is very distant we are talking, here. So I don't really count them.

 

[Wadders]

As long as I can.

Unfortunately some people who are important to me have difted out of my life this last year or 2, but now I make sure to stay friends with the people who I really want in my life.

I hate the feeling of having lost a friend, I thought untill this weekend I'd kinda stopped being friends with some of my old flatmates from last year, but now they're back in my life, to a certain extent

 

[InnerRebellion]

I lost most of my friends four years ago, and made new ones over the past two years... but now, having been diagnosed with split personality disorder, I'm starting to lose some of them as well.

 

[spartan1077]

As long as I have a class with them. One kid, I'm his "friend" for 75 minutes a day because that's how long our classes are...I don't have any long lasting friends.