DAD SAYS GUY FRIENDSHIPS WON'T LAST

Dear Jellybean,

My name is Ashley and more of my friends are guys than girls. I have no problem with it, in fact I get along better with them than with girls. (They are less moody and gossipy.) But I was talking with my Dad and he said that it won't last long because once they figure out that I don't like them, like them, they won't be as friendly. Is that true? I would hate to lose my friends because of that. Thanks for the advice.
-Ashley

Dear Ashley,

Your dad has an old-fashioned opinion of guy-girl friendships. When he was in high school, it was probably unheard of for a guy to hang with a girl just because he liked her as a person. Thankfully, some guys these days are more evolved. So your dad has a reason to think the way he does, but it just doesn't hold up (at least not totally) for the modern girl.

Of course, there may be a grain of truth in what your dad is saying. If you do have a guy friend who is crushing on you, the friendship could fade if he learns that you don't feel the same way. However, it's pretty likely that not every single one of your guy friends is secretly in love with you (though it's so cute that you dad thinks that!).

There are no guarantees for any friendship. Sometimes even the closest ones will change, or even end suddenly - and that goes for girl-girl friendships too. It would be silly not to be friends with someone you really like, boy or girl, because you were worried about what might happen later. So tell your dad you appreciate his concern, and love that he's trying to protect you, but that you're happy with your friendships for now, as long as they're making you feel good.