How old were you when you met your best friend

[iwantsunshine1]

I'm 36 and don't have anyone I am particularly close to but I struggle meeting new people now I'm older. Is there hope for me yet?

I went my entire life not having a best friend, and felt like I was missing out. I also didn’t have a right-knit core group. I thought I was weird. Looking back, I am in my 50’s and am still friends with a guy my cousin and I played in sandpits with when we were 5. We are family. My kids only realised he wasn’t their uncle when they were in their late teens. I am still in contact with and catch up with a couple of people I have known since primary school and high school. They are not friends with each other and we don’t have to see each other all the time. It’s delightful to catch up, though. Also people I studied with and worked with. Where I work now, my űber boss finds it hilarious because in a meeting she introduced me to one of my closest friends (I’m her son’s godmother) who has worked there for over 30 years, but in an entirely different department, and then another time a new person who was one of my work besties from another life who has a very serious gig now unrelated to mine, who I needed to discuss an incident with. We’ve know. Each other about 25 years and been mates ever since. My friends are all very different to each other and not necessarily connected at all, but they’re all amazing people and I consider myself lucky to be connected to them. I didn’t really realise where I fit into their lives I guess until my DH organised a surprise 50th bday and people came to me….

I'm still friends with two schoolfriends - we met aged 11. My best friend as an adult I met in a post natal group aged 29. Most of my friends now are through work.

Snap! Birth, she was 4 months older than me!

Aside from my sister, 3, 25 and 39!

11 - first day of secondary school.

Birth, his grandfather was best friends with my grandfather, my dad grew up with his mum, joint family holidays the lot. We then went all the way through school together. I moved out of London eventually then so did he, 3 miles up the road! We spend time together with spouses DC etc but at least a couple of times a month go for coffee or lunch just us. MN tells me this can't be platonic though because he has a penis.
Other close friends I met when I was 17 and we worked in the same restaurant for less than 6 months, we just clicked twenty plus years later were still really close each others MOH etc. Then I have a group of my closest female friends I met at uni, we all lived together, we've scattered further so only meet up as a group a few times a year, although I see individuals more frequently than that and we WhatsApp on a group most days.
I also have friends I've made later in life who I love dearly but it's the above I'd lean on if the shit hit the fan

I agree. I’ve got several close friends that I do different things with but I would never rank them in terms of who is the ‘best’

They are all equally important to me for different reasons.

I was 32 - so 38 years ago.

Our sons (2 each) were at school together - it was mutually useful for our sons to be friends and the same ages.

We're now both grandmothers, I'm divorced and she's widowed - don't know where the years went!

And I'm still close friends with someone from our student nursing days 50 years ago, but we live a long way from each other.

A few good friends, nobody is ranked as better than anyone else.

The nearest anyone could come to that is my mum. I can talk to her about anything and she’s my holiday/ travel buddy as we get on so well.

I have 2 close/best friends.
One I see less often as we are at different stages of life and she is very busy but she is like my sister and no matter how long we don’t see each other for, we can still talk to each other about anything and support each other. I met her when I was 12/13.
The other one I see more regularly, we have allot in common regarding opinions and interests and I love her just as much as my longer term close/best friend. We became friends around 3 years ago so 33.

I was 7, she was 5. She moved into a house opposite me with her six older brothers and sisters. I was an only child, as my brother didn't come along til I was 10, and we became friends instantly.

We fell out when we were 14 and 12, (teen girl stuff!) and then re-ignited our friendship at 19 and 17. We were friends for another 8 years (til 27 and 25,) and went on holiday together, dated boys together, lived together for about 9 months, went on daytrips together, and went to the pub/clubs together. We drifted apart at 27 and 25 as I moved away 20 miles. Lost touch by 29 and 27.

Ten years later (at 39 and 37,) we bumped into each other by accident, and discovered we only lived 5 miles apart. This was 12-13 years ago, and we are still mates. I have moved again, and am 15 miles from her, but because of the internet and whatsapp and facebook etc, we speak several times a week. I see her once a month for a pub lunch, and we attend each others special family events.

Best friend to me is 'closest'. Someone who i can tell absolutely anything to.
I have a number of really good friends that i can talk to, but one i can absolutlely reveal myself to especially when im probably bang out of order and she tells me.
Quite strange that people think thats childish.
Its v important as an adult to know that people cannt be all things and recognise each relationship as individual. No child has that realisation.

The first one at 14-15 and the second at 18, still friends with both.

Edited to say I´m 49 now...

I’m your age and met my closest friends (who I still consider that role) at

0
11
14
16
18
27

I had one all through secondary school, but we drifted apart once we left for college, I moved away for uni etc. I‘m not in contact with anyone from school and only in contact with one mate from uni & one from college.

I’ve got about 5 ‘good’ friends though, all met through various jobs over the years & we’ve stayed mates even with job changes & city moves.

I was 32 and am now 57

11 and we're still friends now 😂

I have a group of 4 women I'm particularly close with.

I wouldn't use the phrase "best friend" about anyone, but for my two close female friends: 28 and 33.

We were both 19 and now 61.

We were 12. First day of High School. We are now old ladies.
Although life, and geography, have parted us physically we still message and email and get together when we can.
If I see something that I know will make her laugh I will send it to her. We're still very supportive of each other though not as inseperable as when we were teenagers.

I was 25 when I met all 3 of mine. Im 46 now.

My ‘technical’ best friend when I was 11 but have lots of really good friends including one I met 6months ago and we get on incredibly well -met through a mutual sport we are learning together - she is 40 and I am 63.

I have 3 people I would consider my best friends , from different life stages. One from high school who I met age 12, one from university who I met age 19, one from work who I met a couple of years ago at 36

My best friends I met at ages 11, 19, 33 and 40.