What I Wish I Taught My Kids About Choosing a Good Friend

Friendships make an incredible impact on your life and the life of your friends. Choosing a good friend that becomes a close friend is critical. Now that my children are all young adults, I hear great parenting tips that I wish I had when they were young. I am proud of my kids and rather amazed at how well they turned out in spite of things I did not do or teach them.

I heard a sub-point of a message by James MacDonald during a Walk in the Word broadcast that I think will help children make and keep solid friendships. To hear or learn more about MacDonald’s ministry go to jamesmacdonald.com.


Be proactive. Choose your friends or they will choose you. Most often, those choosing to be a friend of your child’s will bring an influence of values that is not shared. Four important categories of choosing a good friend:
1.       Eternity – Choose a friend that is going the same direction as you.
2.       Affinity – Choose a friend that is doing the same things as you.
3.       Chemistry – Choose a friend that is feeling the same way as you.
4.       Loyalty – Choose a friend that is standing with you and for you.

This is not to say that there should be no friendships among those who is not going, doing, feeling or standing with you. It is saying that your close friends should share these traits.

Proverbs 12:26
     The righteous choose their friends carefully,
    but the way of the wicked leads them astray.

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