Being the single friend doesn't give you the right to be a total dick stick

Being the single friend doesn't give you the right to be a total dick stick

Friday 17 June 2016

I've recently glazed my eyeballs over a handful of articles which imply that if you're the single friend, you're a bit of a knob. As someone who has the reigning title of "single friend" I'm here to defend it wholeheartedly.

If the guy or gal or whichever way someone identifies is deemed worthy enough for your pal, be happy for them and whether you like it or not, they're going to want to spend time with that person. AWAY FROM YOU? I KNOW HOW DARE THEY. I won't lie, it does suck a little at first whilst you adjust and find ways to still go on conquering the world as the dynamic duo. You'll still end up in the same bars and clubs reenacting the Ross and Monica dance, don't you worry.

You may have to plan a little further in advance to see each other and there is nothing wrong with that. For example, my best friend and I used to see each other every week for dinner, a film, a gig or whatever and considering we live a good distance apart, that's pretty good going. As we're getting older and have more responsibilities or relationships to maintain, it's not as frequent but that doesn't undermine our friendship at all. Yeah, it's a little bit more of a logistical challenge but who doesn't like a bit of problem solving. The best friendships are those that you can spend time away from each other but as soon as you're back together, it's like you've never been apart.

If there are any issues, just talk about it. I feel like I just want to scream this at some people, myself included. I hate confrontation, it makes me awkward and uncomfortable but keeping things to yourself just makes the issue worse and that's where pointless (dependent on subject matter) fall outs come into play and sometimes those harboured up feelings towards each other can become irreparable, so best avoid that because NOTHING sucks more than a friendship breakup.

Then there's the topic of jealousy because obviously every single friend out there is riddled with jealousy and crying that Billy the bartender won't love them with Bleeding Love blaring from the distance. NO WE'RE REALLY NOT...maybe we are a little bit after a glass of wine but that's besides the point. The way these articles are written poses the idea that as soon as one of you gets in a relationship, everything changes drastically when it really doesn't. In the one's I've come across, they're mostly targeted towards women and it's sad to see other women, writing things that may sway other women to act certain ways towards other women. It's really not hard to be nice to one another.

If they need you, be there. Be the shoulder to cry on, be the person they drunk text at 3am, be the person they can celebrate with, be the person they need right then and most importantly be the support they need.

The way I see it is, treat them how you would want to be treated if or when it's you and if you are being the opposite of all of the above, being the single friend doesn't give you the right to be a total dick stick.