Friend rules

A friend indeed

The patience of a saint, the tact of a politician and the honesty of a nice Anne Robinson... being a good friend is hard work! Here's five tips to help you keep your gal pals for life...

1: Thou shalt listen, even at 3am
A tearful phonecall at an ungodly hour in the morning is a sign that this girl thinks of you as someone she can turn to in a crisis.
It's your duty as a friend to wake up and listen to 'What Kevin done with that Sheryl on the dancefloor' once in a while.
Don't let her make a habit of it though, that's taking the mickey.

2: Thou shalt set her straight when she's being an idiot
Friends listen right? Friends are there for you whatever? Wrong.
Everyone acts like a bit of an idiot sometimes, and we need our friends to make us see what we can't see for ourselves.
If it's blatantly obvious that her crush is seeing someone else, or her ex has moved on, or she's too "tired and emotional" to speak and is in danger of making a prat out of herself then you have to help her see sense.

3: Thou shalt tell her if she looks like a sack of potatoes
The truth hurts, but letting her crush see her looking like Courtney Love's scary little sister will hurt her even more.
When she comes out of the changing room looking a bit frightening, tactfully tell her.
She'll thank you for it in the end.

4: Thou shalt not go with her ex
Yeah, she might have dumped him, but that doesn't mean she wants to watch him stick his tongue down your throat.
There's lots of boys in the world, so get yer own!
And if you really, really have to be with him, you probably ought to question how much you wanted her as a friend anyway.

5: Thou shalt remember the goofy times
You and she weren't always the stylish ladeez we know and love.
Remember that time when she wore a Batman costume to your 7th birthday party? Remember how much fun you had?
Being a good friend means taking a relaxed attitude to your not so cool past, and appreciating how much fun it was to be young and care free together.
So keep the notes she writes you in maths, cos soon you'll be looking back on these times and smiling.