'I think there are different types of friends: 'real' friends and 'shallow/disposable' friends. Real friends are usually people I have known a while and outside work. Shallow friends are usually people I don't know that well - through work or through other friends. I think you need both to survive but would be devastated if anything happened to my real friends.
'What real friends mean to me is: everything - I couldn't function without them. They are people that I feel completely at ease with and could tell anything to (within reason). They don't put me under pressure or have high expectations regarding commitment and how often we meet. If I didn't see them for six months or a year it would still be the same relationship. They are people I can completely rely on in times of crisis and they make me feel loved. Oh, and they must like a drink, good music (not R&B), football and have a sense of humour (and occasionally laugh at my jokes).
'Shallow friends are people to have fun with - without any real emotional attachment. They're usually work colleagues, although a small number of work people have made it to my real friends list.'
Anne Connor

'I have some friends that are "going out and having a good laugh with" mates. I have some that only call when they are in need of a listening ear and need advice. Some mates are there for me no matter what and others I may not see for ages but we know we are exactly the same when we do get together.
'So what do my friends mean to me.... They are the ones I can be me with, no sides and what you see is what you get. They are the ones that know me inside out and know exactly how I feel about things. They are the ones that I know I can truly rely on, and hopefully they know I would do the same for them. They are the ones that I can tell and say anything too, and won't tell anyone or judge me (they may laugh at me sometimes though). They know what music, clothes, perfume etc I love. They support me in whatever I do. They get excited when I am and also sad when I'm down. They are diamonds!
Funky_Totts (on the discussion boards)

'I've never analysed what my friends mean to me so it's been interesting to give it some thought. My friends allow me to express myself outside the role of wife and mother. Being able to let your hair down and have a really good laugh with one good friend of a gaggle of girls is extremely important to me.'
Elspeth Dawson

'Best mates are the best. They make you feel stronger, more confident, happier about yourself. You can do whatever you like in front of them and they won't judge. They want what's right for you, not what they think is right. Plus, you can get pissed, fall over and laugh about it all the next day'.
Liz Silvester

'Friends make it all all right, no matter what happens. I don't know how they do it, but they do. It's wonderful having people you don't have to explain things about yourself to - or knowing that whatever you do tell them won't send them running a mile! Friends are my memories - they're what memories are made up of for me.'
Carol Muskoron

'My friends reflect different aspects of me and tell me who I am. They're the people I laugh the most with. My old friends, the ones I was at school with, or the ones I met when I first started work, are a refuge. I don't see them very often but, when I do, we're completely comfortable with one another. In my eyes, they don't age – hopefully, I don't look any older to them either!
'My newest friends are the ones I've met through having children, and these relationships develop very quickly through shared circumstances. They're not as deep, there's no shared history, but they're just as valuable – who else is going to understand what you're going through with your toddler but someone who's going through exactly the same thing? Having said that, all my friends, whether old or new, are a great source of support to me.'
Kirsten Edwards

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