Many people will tell you that the friends you make in grade school are temporary. Some claim that it is solely the friends you will make in college who will always be by your side. While I could never imagine my life without the amazing friendships I have formed in college, I would also never be able to imagine my life without the friends that I grew up with. Instead, I prefer to grow my family wherever I go. I feel a sense of home with the friends that I began making from kindergarten to now. I cannot find that with anyone else, and I don't think I want to.

1. You can be your craziest, weirdest, best self with them.

They truly know you, and they have watched you grow over the course of your life. Whether it was bonding over Webkinz in the fifth grade to gossiping about silly crushes in middle school, you have witnessed most of their highs and lows. You were there with them through their awkward phases, and know their potential. There is absolutely no judgement.

2. Visiting home for the Holidays is never lonely.

While few things in life are more important than binge watching "Grey's Anatomy" getting to hear all about your friend's crazy experiences and stories from college is always exciting. Sometimes, those are even more interesting.

3. Spontaneous adventures.

No plans? You can probably count on bringing your group chat back to life and find at least one person to be over within thirty minutes for a movie or a last-minute ice cream run. If you grew up in a small town like I did, this means business. Ben and Jerry's closes at 10 p.m. some nights, and rushing to get ice cream before it closes is always necessary.

4. A constant support system.

Is there friend drama back in school? No need to worry about betraying a loved one by confiding in a mutual friend about your feelings pertaining to said loved one. Call an unbiased friend from home or call in the troops from your group chat. They will most definitely have your back and swarm you with FaceTime chats to make sure that you are feeling okay.

5. No matter the occasion, they will always reach out to wish you well.

6. You have an amazing group of people you can call family.

Normally I recharge by spending time alone, but at home I am so overwhelmed with gratitude for my childhood friends that I plan responsibilities around time that I can see them. I know that the days I get to see them are numbered since we no longer reside in the same place for most of the year.

I feel extremely gracious knowing that there are people scattered all over the country that I can call for anything. These are people full of positive energy, and friendships that can easily be picked up just as they were left. Distance means nothing with such a close-knit group of wonderful people. I can cry, seek advice, and laugh endlessly in all of these relationships. While many people may persuade you to cut ties and only focus on forming new bonds, I say hold onto all of the families that you've been lucky enough to find. If someone is able to offer you a healthy friendship full of love, it will always be worth keeping.