5 Resaons Why the Older You Get the Less Friends You Have

It is a strange fact of life that as we age we seem to have less friends then we did when we were younger. Before you shake your head in disagreement, take stock of how many friends you had when you were a child and how many you have now. If you are like me the number of friends probably went down as the years rolled along.

Here are five reasons why the older you get the less friends you have.

When we are younger we have different likes and dislikes, then we do as we age. Friends we once found cool, for one reasons or another, from our teens up to early twenties may not fit into the new lifestyle. Once children arrive things may totally change.

Another reason we have less friends may be due to broken bonds with friends. In my teens and early twenties I was a volunteer fireman, but once I left the fire company, the bonds I had with all my friends from the fire company slowly dissolved over time. There are a lot of friends from school, organizations or clubs whom we no longer associate. The bonds which were are gone for one reason another.

One of the chief reasons we no longer have a lot of friends is because time and distance create a barrier. Many of the friends my wife and I had were neighborhood friends. When we moved, or one of them moved we always swore we would stay in touch but for one reason or another didn't write or call each other. Coupled with distance is time, the longer you go without contacting old friends, the more of a chance you won't get it with them again. Another factor in time and distance is as we get into the later stages of life, many of us in nursing homes which robs us of our friends

When my wife and I had children we developed a strong bond with other families with children. It seemed like our families were inseparable that is until our children grew and went their separate ways. In the end while we didn't lose all our friends from this time period there are a good many we no longer talk to or call on the phone.

The final way we all lose friends as we age is to death. While this is kind of a downer to talk about at the end of this article, it is a natural fact of life. In seven years I lost nine family members alone and this is not counting all the friends who have passed. I am only in my fifties so I know there will be more loss in my future.

The lyrics to an old Christian song, “friends are friends forever,” and while this may not be true on a physical sense we need to try to hold onto as many friends as we can for as long as we can.