LIfelong Friends

Last night, my best friend from childhood called me at 10 pm and asked if I could pick her and her family up at the airport. They were traveling from Houston to San Francisco and due to bad weather, had to land and ended up getting stuck overnight. She was traveling with her husband, teenage daughter, daughter's friend, and husband's parents. They wanted to come over and sleep for a bit and then go back to the airport about 6-7 am to catch a different flight and get on with their trip. As we don't see each other that often, I was ecstatic at the chance to see her and catch up, even if it meant staying up all night. I offered to come and pick all 6 of them up and do the transportion back and forth. I have to admit that when they decided to stay at the airport overnight, I was so disappointed that I wasn't going to see her.

We became fast friends in 5th grade and were inseparable until graduation from high school. We were each othe'rs Maid of Honor, traveled together, were there for each other through good and bad times. One thing that hasn't changed through all these years, we can get one another laughing like none other, to the point of snorting and crying. We let too much time pass between visits, but that friendship never dies no matter how long it is or how far away we are from one another.

When I see the kids shoping in Educational Outfitters and they run into their friends in the summer, it is so cute when the girls hug each other and are so excited to see one another. Boys have differnet reactions, but you can still tell they are glad to see their friends. With my own son being a teenager now, I think I can predict which friendships he will still have in 20, 30, 40, 50 years from now. While going to school and getting an education is super important, I think about other things that have impacted my life and my best friend from 5th grade is someone that made a huge impact.

As parents, we need to let our kids have those friendships and help to foster that by driving them to sleep overs, taking the group of friends to the movies, or letting them meet at the mall to hang out together. The memories they willl make with their friends and the friendships will last a lifetime. May your child meet a lifelong friend and experience that special bond! Everyone should have a friendship like the one I have had for all these years!

Visit Educational Outfitters of Phoenix at 1628 E Southern Ave, Tempe, AZ  85282 or call us at 480-429-5136. Hope to see you and your friends soon!