Ever since I was a little kid, I loved playing with the boys more than the girls. I never understood why, really. Maybe part of it was due to the fact that I was much more of a tom boy than a girly girl, and liked “active play” more than tea parties or playing with dolls. At the time, I never would have thought that the inclination I had to hang out with my guy friends had to do with less gossip or drama, but then again, what little kid does think about those things?

Throughout all the years, many things in my life have changed. I’ve jumped around trying multiple different instruments, I’ve hopped from gym to gym attempting various sports, I’ve even gone through phases in my life where I thought I wanted my career to be that of a woman in the armed forces. Regardless of all the changes that have occurred, there is one thing that has stayed completely consistent throughout my life, and that is the relationship I have maintained with various guy friends.

Girlfriends are wonderful when it comes to so many things: shopping, gossiping, sitting with you when you are upset over a boy, but as good as all of those things are there are times when you would prefer not having to deal with all of the drama that can surround girl-on-girl relationships. That’s where having a few close guy friends comes in handy.

Although guys can sometimes get extremely riled up and aggressive when they are around one another, they know how to tone it down when they are around girls that would prefer they maintain a more low-key demeanor. Sure, they will probably still maintain their conversations about how attractive they think your sister is, but other than that it’s pretty much all tolerable conversation.

Perhaps the biggest positive about hanging out with guys is the lack of drama that is presented to any situation. Maybe it's just how girls are and that’s why it’s so different, but if you hang out with a group of guys, or even just one guy one-on-one, you will start to realize that the conversation doesn’t revolve around how annoying it is that Jamie stopped talking to Erica because she forgot to text her back, and now you have to decide which side you are on. In fact, in my own experience I have learned that if you try to bring up a dramatic topic in a way that sounds like gossiping, the guys with whom you are conversing will instantly try to shut it down or change the subject. They don’t find that type of talk interesting, and sometimes, that’s good!

Another huge advantage of having close guy friends is that they will always have your back when it comes to sticky situations with other guys. Now, that’s not to say that if you date their best friend and the two of you end in a little bit of a messy way, they will take your side. Still, it is to say that they will put in an effort to maintain a friendship with you even after things end between you and the guy. With girls, this gets a little complicated. Often times, people are asked or even encouraged to choose a side, but guys view the situation in a much simpler way which lessens the drama surrounding it. Additionally, if a guy views you as a close friend, he is likely to - for lack of a better word - talk you up to his friends. What I mean by this is that if you are interested in one of his friends, he will probably say positive things about you to that friend which will increase your chance at having a shot! And even if you’re not interested, it’s always good to have more guy friends, so a positive compliment about your character will go a long-way in someone else’s mind.

So if you’re a girl reading this and you consider yourself a girl’s girl, reconsider! Think about branching out and trying to establish a better relationship with some guys in a few of your classes! With the start of a new school year brings the promise of new relationships, so don’t hold back and start-up a conversation with the guy next to you. You never know what may come out of it.