Successful Relationships

And how to avoid falling into them.

Walter Winchell
A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.

Anonymous
To have a good friend is one of the highest delights in life; to be a good friend is one of the noblest and most difficult undertakings.

How true is this!
A good friend is one of best treasures in life, yet at the same time to be a good friend is not always that easy.

We have already looked at some of the attributes of character that will contribute towards creating and maintaining a solid friendship.

Remember, we mentioned

Trust – respect – value – forgiveness and love.

There are also some things you need to avoid doing if you want your friendship to remain strong and solid.

A few weeks ago I took some time to chat with some young friends about their perspective and experiences on the ideal relationship between teens and parents.

We came up with 8 things to do to enjoy a good relationship with your teenager, and 7 things not to do. You can find the 8 things to DO here and here.

Now let’s take a look at some of the things they were saying not to do.

Do you think it is possible in this day of extreme rebellion, lack of respect, and self-centered “ideals” to still enjoy a loving yet respectful relationship with your children?

Well that does greatly depend on you as a parent. No, I am not talking about being a perfect parent, none of us have quite reached that characteristic yet. And neither are there perfect children (except yours of course

We do live in a difficult age for children growing up and their parents trying to guide them. But there are certainly some things parents can do to help point children in the right direction and give them an opportunity to win this race called life.

The definition of the word “respect” is somewhat complex. It includes admiration as well as the taking into consideration of another person’s wishes or to use the dictionary’s actual words: “a courteous regard for people’s feelings”. It can also include obedience, when referring to child/parent relationships.

When we respect someone, we can look up to them and/or we can do something that may not be a normal choice for us, but we know that the other person would prefer it.

If we cannot trust another person, then there is really no relationship. When considering the definition of trust, I find it difficult to separate unselfishness from trust. What do you think? Think about the following comments.

A person who openly displays characteristics of selfishness is not someone whom you will readily trust. You will know that in moments of stress or life crisis, you could never count on them to help or support you. They will be too busy thinking about themselves.

In this series we are going to look at some In this series we are going to look at some of the ingredients that go together to make good relationship, as well as the challenges that can be faced in maintaining a good relationship.

I would love to hear your comments, your experiences and your wisdom. Please do leave your comments.

You will probably be expecting trust to be the first on the list of good ingredients, but ,,