Once you graduate there is a big change in how you have to find and maintain friendships.
Talking Points:
- Understand that your friendships will change. When you’re in high school, friendships come about pretty naturally because you’re in the same space with the same people all the time. Life isn’t like this after high school.
- Friendships take a lot more work after high school. If you want to make and maintain friendships, you have to be more intentional than before.
- Don’t let losing friends discourage you. It’s likely that many people you called “friends” in high school were really just classmates and acquaintances – and that’s okay. You can’t be best friends with everyone.
- Take time to find new friends who are compatible with you. Whether it’s the same field of study, the same hobbies, or something else, you’ll find that you have to be more intentional to seek relationships with people who share interests and ideas with you.
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Did you find it easy to make friends in high school? Why or why not?
- What do you think makes a true friend? Explain.
- Why do you think it takes much more work to make and maintain friendships after high school?
- Would you say a lot of the people you have thought of as friends are actually acquaintances? Explain.
- Does it make you sad or discouraged to think about losing relationships with people from high school? Why or why not?
- What are some ways you can find common interests or shared ideas with new people as you enter a new season of life?
- How can you be a better friend to others? Give an example from one or two of your friendships.
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
