That is a tough one! It can be really sad when we have friends that we really like, but we fall out of touch. If you don’t have social media accounts to stay in touch and you don’t have their phone number, maybe try asking a parent or carer if they can try to get in touch with your friend’s parent/carer. Aside from that, you might have to hope you run into them again and exchange phone numbers next time!
-Bonnie
From a bully’s perspective, it is important to learn to listen to a ‘no’ and respect the rights of the other person. Bullies don’t have to stay bullies – they can learn to be good friends, which is a good thing not just for other people, but for them as well. When a person learns and understands that are rights and responsibilities in a relationship, and follows them, they will find that they have better friendships and may be a happy, more confident person themselves. Some of the rights and responsibilities we are talking about include:
- I have the responsibility to accept my friend’s decision and not keep asking.
- I have the responsibility to respect my friend’s opinions.
- I have the responsibility to understand that my friends might respectfully disagree with me
- I have the responsibility to treat my friend as an equal
- I have the responsibility to never threaten or control my friend.
The great thing is that you also have the right to be treated that way, so thinking about these things and making sure you follow them will give you healthier and better friendships. Good luck!
-Bonnie
Well, firstly sometimes it’s not the number of friends you have, but the quality of friendship that counts. The thing about friends and relationships is that there are so many different people in the world and you will always find that you get on with some people better than others – but really close friends are hard to find and deserve attention and care. If you decide that you want to make some more friends, here are a few ideas:
- Finding people with similar hobbies and interests is a good start because you already know you will have something to talk about!
- Accept people as they are. You can like other people even if you don't agree with everything they say or do.
- Be a good listener so that others can tell that you are really interested in what they are saying. Ask them questions about themselves, but don’t pressure them to answer if they don’t want.
- Get to know people well by sharing 'safe' thoughts with them first. What is a safe thought? It might be something about school or TV or your favourite footy team. It isn't always safe to tell someone you don't know very personal things about yourself, like things you might be worried about or afraid of.
- You don't have to know about or have an opinion on everything - in fact it is often better if you don't 😊
- Expect things to work out the way you would like in your friendship. Expect respect and make sure you give it too – that means not pressuring others, no manipulation or abuse, supporting your friends’ interests and other friendships.
- Don't be a gossip or tell tales… "She said… and I don't think she likes… and she doesn't want to be your friend." Sounds familiar?
If you're lucky the person you meet may become a regular friend or even, after a long time, a best friend.
Among Us can be super fun to play. It’s obviously full of lying and betrayal so it's important that everyone playing understands that those things are part of the game but not great in real life! 😊
It’s also important to remember when playing games with a chat function that there could be cyberbullying or chat that isn’t suitable for young people. A good way to keep yourself safe is to play private games with people that you know, and to report anything that is not appropriate in the chat screen.
To report a player who is acting inappropriately, open up chat, click the ‘Kick’ menu, select the player you want to report, and click the Report button.
You can also use the new ‘Quick Chat Only’ and ‘Censor Chat’ filter to keep the game a safer place for yourself.
~ Sarah
