Friendships are fun and make us feel special but it is also normal for friendships to be complicated and confusing sometimes. Choosing the right kinds of friends is important. Your friendships are changing because you and all of your friends are changing. The teenage years are a time of physical, emotional, and social growth and change. These changes don't happen at the same time, or at the same speed, from one person to the next.
You might not have to end old friendships, but the relationships may need to change. You may find that you don't have as much in common as you used to. It's important to pay attention to your feelings, and to know what you enjoy doing. If your friends seem to be spending more time in activities that you don't enjoy, you may be happier finding some new friends who share your interests.
Some people are naturally outgoing and have no trouble making friends. Other are more shy and find it harder to get to know people. When you want to get to know someone, it helps to think of some things ahead of time that you could talk about. You may want to compliment them on something you notice about them or ask them something about school or an activity they are involved in. It may also help if you have an interest or activity in common.
There are a few things you can do to try to keep a friend even though you and your friend seem to be growing apart. You can try to talk to your friend about your feelings, letting your friend know that he or she is still important to you even though your interests are changing. You might try out something that your friend has become interested in, such as a sport or invite your old friend to share a new interest of yours. If there are one or two activities that you both still like to do, maybe you can plan to get together once in a while to enjoy them, even though you may spend more and more time apart.
Sometimes parents think that a friend may be a bad influence on you. It is worth listening to their concerns. You may be able to reassure them about your friend or they may have observations about your friend that you have not noticed.
Sometimes friends, even people you have been friends with for a long time, may begin to do things that you are uncomfortable with, like using drugs, drinking, or stealing. They may or may not pressure you to join them. It may be hard, but you will need to judge for yourself about how much time to spend with these friends. It can be difficult and uncomfortable to make new friends, but it imay be necessary and worth the effort in the long run.
It's not easy to lose someone who has been an important part of your life. But if you're feeling really uncomfortable with your friend, or if you feel like your friend is putting pressure on you to do things that you don't want to do, or doesn't treat you with respect, or makes you feel bad about yourself, then it's probably time to move on. Trust your feelings.