The transition from middle school to high school can be filled with growing pains. School work is becoming harder, and you go from being the oldest in the school to the youngest, and worst of all, people who you saw as your best friends start to become strangers.

Everyone goes through this chapter of their life. Although it’s something nobody wants to experience, people can learn a great deal about themselves when dealing with the end of a friendship. 

The reality is that sometimes friendships drift apart, and that’s okay. In an article titled “How To Deal With Drifting Apart From Your Old Friends,”  it talks about how to deal with drifting friendships and offers words of encouragement. 

It states, “He or she just might not be the right BFF for you now, and trying to pretend you haven’t grown apart as friends could be emotionally harmful for both.”

It is also important to know when a friendship is worth fighting for. Even if the friendship isn’t as close as it used to be, there is no need to turn into enemies. You can still be friendly toward each other. All it takes is one hello to each other in the hallway to let them know you still care about them.

Samantha Williams, a freshman at Westwood, discusses what to do when dealing with friendships that may not be the same.

She states, “I would say to check up on them, make sure they’re okay, make sure you are doing okay, and fix yourself before you try to make new friendships.”

Amanda Vega Pabon, a sophomore, gives examples of what happens when friendships grow apart.

She states, “You can lose friendships for many reasons, you may have grown apart, or you just don’t see them anymore. And you still have respect for each other, but y’all are not friends.”

Although it is essential to fight for a friendship, it is equally important to prioritize yourself. You should not let “friends” take advantage of you and make you feel like you have to do things you don’t want to do.

When a friendship comes to an end, it is ideal for you to be upset about it. People even say that friendship breakups hurt more than relationship breakups. An article titled  “The Growing Pains of Outgrowing Friendships” discusses being open with your emotions when dealing with growing pains in friendships. 

 It states, “ Grieving doesn’t mean you stop caring. You can honor a friendship’s significance without needing it to last forever. Some connections fade quietly, while others end abruptly, leaving you with unanswered questions or lingering hurt. Both are valid, and both are hard.”

Friendships can change for various reasons, whether due to a heated argument or a more subtle shift. People grow and evolve, and so do friendships. High school is a time for building friendships, so if you lose some along the way, that’s perfectly okay. You might discover new friends in the most unexpected places.