• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Milestones Child Development
    • Growing Up
    • Tips
  • Travel
    • Abroad
    • Camping
    • Day Trips
    • London
    • UK
    • Tips
  • Health
    • Children’s Health
    • Weight Loss Journey
    • Exercise
    • Sleep
  • Lifestyle
    • All Things Christmas
    • Cars
    • What To Wear
    • Work Life Balance
  • Home
    • Home Improvments
    • Garden
  • Food
    • Family Food
    • Recipes
  • Family
    • Making Memories
  • Finance
    • Earning Money
    • Money Saving
  • Technology
    • Kids Technology
    • Tech Reviews
  • Reviews
    • Attractions
    • Accommodation
    • Camping
    • Toys
    • Baby
    • Household
    • Fashion Footwear & Accessorise
    • Child Car Seat
    • Pushchairs
  • General
    • Blogging
    • Competitions
    • Magic Moments

The Oliver's Madhouse

When life isn't complicated enough ..

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Work With Me
  • The Small Print
  • Contact Me

11/03/2015

Making Friends & Keeping Them

Making Friends & Keeping Them The Oliver\\\'s MadhouseOver recent months it has come to my attention that I am no longer a people pleaser. 

Now what I mean about that is that yes I do want to please some people, However after trying to please everyone all the time at detriment to my own feelings I have now become quite rigid at who I call a friend.

In the last year I would probably say I have pretty much waved goodbye to the fair-weather friends in favour of a more select group of friends than having lots of ‘friends’ that actually are not interested in taking the rough with the smooth. 

Allowing myself the ability to distinguish from a fair weather friend and an acquaintance has allowed me to actually enjoy some amazing friendships without pressure, stress or upset and by setting myself some promises I have been able to maintain those friendships, thrive in them and enjoy being me all over again. 

So in order to look at thing that can help maintain friendships I thought it best to explain the types of things that caused a friendship to fail for me in the past: 

Loose lipped – Although I don’t like to gossip or say things about people I wouldn’t repeat to someones face, I do like to think that any friends I have, out of courtesy would keep anything  discussed within the discussions only. Tell tales and stirrer are never going to make my list. 

Immaturity – I am sure I am not alone, however game playing, and neediness to the point of clingy are all off-putting or me, there just are not enough hours in the day. 

Selfishness – Making time is hard so when time is found its nice to thing that you are not putting all your effort in while someone else is expecting you to do all the running! 

So am I alone with these, what makes a great friendship or what will wreck it for you?

What do you do to make your friendships work?

Filed Under: General Posts

About Jaime

Jaime Oliver is a multi-award-winning parenting and family blogger from Nottingham who has been sharing her parenting journey online at The Oliver’s Madhouse since 2012. Jaime writes about life with her 2 little boys from days out and adventures to milestones and moments there is no parenting or family topic she wouldn’t share to normalise and celebrate the differences in parenting.



When Jaime is not writing about her family she is can be found writing about her journey of self-discovery in learning to cook and fall in love with her home again on her food and interiors blog notTHATJaimeOliver.com

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pinkoddy says

    11/03/2015 at 6:29 pm

    Haha when was this written as I am definitely a needy friend lol x

    Reply
  2. VaiChin @RamblingThroughParenthood says

    11/03/2015 at 8:03 pm

    I struggle to make friends easily. I do have a few good ones though.

    Reply
  3. Mummy of Two says

    11/03/2015 at 8:03 pm

    I’ve always had a few close friends and then various other ‘acquaintances’ who I speak to as and when. It is so important to have those proper friendships where it is give and take – I’ve known too many people who just sap the life out of you and I can’t be bothered anymore!

    Reply
  4. Mel says

    11/03/2015 at 8:27 pm

    Real friends are precious. You’ve got to look after them, let them look after you and always remember how lucky you are to have them. x

    Reply
  5. Sarah Bailey says

    11/03/2015 at 9:42 pm

    I used to be the friends with everyone person but I soon learnt it meant I was often left out because everyone would think someone else had invited me (or so they say) while these days I’m happy to be friends with anyone I don’t go out of my way to please people.

    Reply
  6. Donna says

    11/03/2015 at 10:37 pm

    I lost a lot of friends when I became a mum as they just didn’t ‘get it’. I now have more select friends and my time is so precious that I am more choosey about who I spend that time with. Great post and I can totally relate x

    Reply
  7. Kara says

    12/03/2015 at 5:53 am

    I can totally relate to this but I do find that I have friends that I don’t see from one year to the next but when we do meet up it all just falls into place

    Reply
  8. Rachel says

    12/03/2015 at 12:35 pm

    I always think there is a reason someone comes into your life, or leaves it x

    Reply
  9. agatapokutycka says

    12/03/2015 at 1:32 pm

    Making time is the hardest thing for me. I want to stay in touch but sometimes I simply have no time… I start to prioritize and this phone call I supposed to make few days ago still isn’t happening… friendships have to be cared for… I have to care more…

    Reply
  10. lisa prince says

    12/03/2015 at 6:58 pm

    i use to have so many friends , then i moved away and i found out i had none , now im a mum with 7 little ones , the freinds slowely withered and now i solely have family and a few good social friends , i keep in touch with old school friends but dont see them much x

    Reply
  11. Michelle says

    12/03/2015 at 8:33 pm

    My friends mean everything to me, even if I don’t see them for a long time things are just the same when we meet up, which I love xxx

    Reply
  12. My Family Ties says

    13/03/2015 at 12:22 am

    Friends are so important and treasuring them is such a beautiful thing! xx

    Reply
  13. Cherished By Me says

    15/03/2015 at 11:59 am

    I find my best and closest friends are ones that I don’t need to speak to all the time but we can pick up where we left off even if it is a few months. Friends are so important though.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

About Me

Stay Connected

  • Bloglovin
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Follow on Instagram
https://youtu.be/x3cZyXt7jPM
Spare parts for your car you get here Onlinecarparts

Posts You Might Have Missed

Top 5 Travel Management Companies for Businesses Seeking Cost Control in 2026

Best 8 UK Injectable Suppliers Chosen by High-Volume Aesthetic Clinics in 2026

Night view at St. Peter's cathedral in Rome, Italy

10 Italian Phrases Travelers Often Misunderstand in English

Open grey suitcase with clothing in room

Planning the Next Family Adventure: What’s Worth Prioritising This Year

Footer

Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use.

To find out more, including how to control cookies, see here: Cookie Policy

Copyright © 2026 · Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in