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Friendship myths

Everyone wants to have friends, and friendships are important to teenagers all over the world. However, when people start a friendship, they sometimes expect too much from it. Here are five things about friendship that some people believe are true. But in fact they aren't – they are myths.

Myth no. 1: Friends are there to make you happy.

Myth no. 2: A real friend will never disappoint you.

Myth no. 3: The more friends you have, the better.

Myth no. 4: Friends share everything.

Myth no. 5: If you've got no friends, something's wrong with you.

Burcu, Istanbul, Turkey

Nobody's perfect, so why do we think friends can be perfect? We all make mistakes, so it's only normal that there are times when good friends make mistakes, too. Perhaps you think that a really good friend always knows what you need. That's wrong – be careful! Sometimes you need to say to your friends, 'Please do this' or 'Don't do that'. Don't forget that there are times when your friends are stressed or unhappy, too. Then they can't help you the way you would like them to.

Flávia, São Paulo, Brazil

There can be times in your life when you've got a lot of friends, and other times when you've only got one or two. Maybe you haven't got any friends right now because, for example, you're in a new city or school. When you haven't got any friends, it's important to wait andbe patient. Make sure you're a friendly person – so other people want to make friends with you!

Luca, Florence, Italy

No, they don't! It takes time to build

a good friendship. You don't want to tell your friend everything about yourself on the first day of your friendship. You and your friends want to share some things. But it's important to remember that there are other things that you don't want to share and that's fine! Don't feel bad about it.

Fernanda, Quito, Ecuador

You want to be a good friend, right? To build a good friendship, it's important to have fun together, to listen to your friends when they've got a problem, to help them when they need you, or just to go and watch a film together, or play some sport. And that takes time! That's why I think it's better to have one or two friends, and not a lot of friends.

Nikolay, St Petersburg, Russia

It's not a good idea to wait for others to make you happy. There are times when you're happy, and other times when you're sad. And when you're not happy, try to think, 'What can I do to stop this? How can I help myself?' Friendship is a place to share happiness, but there may be times when you and your friends aren't happy. And that's OK.