Relationships and Friendships

At: HOME, SCHOOL and the COMMUNITY

YOU

Relationships and Friendships

All these relationships can enrich your life. You can also enrich everyone and everything with the relationships you are involved in.

Some relationships you are able to choose but others not.

Relationships that you can choose are: Friendships and people whom you want to have a romantic connection with.

You can not choose whether or not you want a relationship with your family

Good Relationship Characteristics

Trust Empathy Shared values Openness Mutual Respect Considerate Vulnerable

Bad Relationship Characteristics

No shared values No mutual respect No shared interests Judgemental No trust Misunderstandings Putting up guard / being closed off

Appropriate ways to make/build a relationship

When you were small, you didn't make relationship decisions.

You played with the children in your playgroup, by the crèche or at home.

That usually changes when you go to school.

You start to form small groups of friends and lock other out.

You don't do it on purpose to have one specific friend and not the other, however, it happens spontaneously.

During the time that you are a teenager. You learn how to make friends and relationships with specific people.

Appropriate way to make/build relationships at SCHOOL

New school where you probably don't know anyone.

It can be a challenging and demanding time to find your feet in a new school.

Extrovert: Outgoing/Better chance to make friends.

Introvert: Withdrawn and shy/ An introvert that has a poor self-esteem and poor self identity will only then struggle to make friends.

Appropriate way to make/build relationships at HOME

Teenagers, Parents and caregivers must develop a whole new communication method because of the fact that you are not a child.

The best way to understand each other is to talk about your feelings and what happens in your life.

You and your parents or caregivers must find new ways to interact with each other, appropriate limits and rules need to be set while you become more of an adult. You need to see and prove yourself, parents or caregivers that you are becoming mature and that you are able to make your own decisions on important aspects.

One of the best ways to do this is that you can handle responsibility. Example: Doing your homework

Appropriate way to make/build relationships in the COMMUNITY

When you have developed into an adult, you will being to enjoy the active role you play in your community.

You need to get involved in the things your community sees at important.

Volunteer Work

It will help you to build relationships with different community outreaches and leaders and you will contribute to your own well-being and that of the community.

Possible community work in the community:› Children home› Make the environment green and clean› Helping the animals

Activity 1

Make a list of the five most important people in your life. Write next to each ones name the important relationship characteristics that you have with that person.

Activity 2

1. Work on your own and think of your best friends when you were:› 4 years old› 6 years old› 8 years old› 10 years old› 12 years old

2. Did any of your friends stay the same? Why do you think this is so?

Appropriate ways to maintain a relationship.

Problem solving skills: an appropriate behaviour in a

relationshipAny relationship experiences difficult times

HOMEA relationship with your family will benefit

significantly by having fun and sharing household chores.

Discuss what happened in your day and what other people did.

SCHOOLRespect is the foundation for good

relationships with your friends, peers and teachers

COMMUNITY1. It is important to dress right according to

the place where you are going.2. Personal Hygiene

3. Do not make noise in public places or talk loudly where it is not applicable.

Communication skills: how to constructively disagree and appropriate ways to end a relationship

There will be times in a relationship where the other person will not agree with you.

They will fight over something and become selfish and try to get their way instead of just dropping the case.

Make sure you know when something is not worth fighting over and putting your relationship in jeopardy.

Therefore, maturity and mutual respect is very important.

Ending Relationships

Ending Relationships It is never easy to end any relationship.

The best way is to be thankful for the special times you had.

You need to respect your partner if you personally want to end the relationship.

Don't extend or delay the ending of the relationship even though it is difficult.

You need to move on.