Finding a True Friend—Meet Noodle Newman!

Welcome! Let’s Talk About Finding a True Friend

Hi and welcome to my very first blog. You might not know me yet, but I hope you will get to know me! Today I want to say hi and talk a little bit about how great finding a true friend is.

So, Who Am I?

My friends call me Noodle but my real name Laura Newman (take a look at my hair and guess how I got my nickname). I’m eleven years old, and I just went away to sleepaway camp for the first time this past summer. And while I live in the pages of (that’s my friend Steph Katzovi’s first book), I bet we have plenty in common.

I’ve been thinking a lot about what I should write about. The problem is, there are already A GAZILLION blogs out there. There’s blogs for kids, about kids, and even blogs for goats (the “other” kind of kids- get it?).  What hasn’t already been said by others? What will be so special about my blog?

Then again, I remember one of my favorite quotes from Dr. Seuss (he’s a favorite author of mine). He once wrote: “There is no one alive who is you-er than you.”

I guess that means I’ll just write about whatever makes me the “me-est” me.

A Little Bit About Me

I’ve worn glasses for more than half my life. I’ve made my bed every day since I was five-and-a-half. I walk our dog, Chompers. I try to finish my homework as fast as possible. I love sports (soccer, basketball, and tennis are my current favorites). I try to write in my journal every day. I love reading. I practice piano more than I want to. Sometimes, I fight with Jill, my older sister. She’s three and a half years older than me. She can super annoying.

Having a big sister can be awesome and terrible at the same time. (If I had a brother, I’d probably say the same thing.)

It’s great when Jill and I do fun things like make up dances; sing songs in our pretend band named Pegasus; or ride our bikes around the neighborhood. When I get to be with Jill and her friends (and she isn’t trying to show off), it’s the best.

But then, there’s the not-so-great side…

Jill knows exactly what to say that will make me cry. She can be sooo mean, even though she knows that I could probably beat her up if I had to. My parents WOULD NOT allow that, of course. Jill can be super moody. It’s hard to figure out what might make her upset.

My parents say that’s what happens when you’re a teenager. Whatever the reason, we all try to stay out of Jill’s way when she’s grouchy. I’m not going to be like Jill when I’m a teenager, that’s for sure.

I hope that when we get older, Jill and I can be friends. Real friends. Kind of like the friends I made at Camp Hillside this past summer.

Finding a True Friend

My best friend from camp is named Aries De Falco. I have lots of friends from Great Falls where I’m from, but nobody is like Aries. She is one of the smartest people I know.

One very late night this summer, Aries told me about all the different sleepaway camps she went to. She didn’t like any of them. That is, until she met me. (We both hated Camp Hillside until we loved it.)

“You know what makes our friendship so great?” Aries had asked me.

“We can laugh about everything—even dumb things—and never get tired of each other?” I remember saying.

“Yes, but also it’s that I can be myself around you,” she said.

I knew exactly what Aries meant. I think most of us want to be around people who make us feel good about ourselves. They’ll like you whether you’re being funny, serious, or even grumpy.

Friends—true friends—are the ones where can be your “you-est you.”

Finding a true friend isn’t always easy to do. It can take a long time to discover the right match. And even when you do find a true friend, life doesn’t always stay the same. Friends can move away. Or, maybe they discover a new interest that you don’t share. Sometimes, they try out new personalities that don’t match yours.

All of these things have happened to me. Maybe we can swap stories some time if this has happened to you too.

But as my mom says, “it’s a big world. And until you’ve gone to every corner, you never know who or what you might find.”

So even though I’ve got my Great Falls friends and my Camp Hillside friends, I’m always on the lookout for someone new. I’ll stop writing for today, but I promise I’ll be back soon.

Until then, be your best you.

Have you found true friends? What qualities are important to you in your true friends? Let’s chat about it in the comments!