I have never gotten along with many girls. A select few exist that I absolutely love and keep contact with as much as possible, however outside from that I have always considered myself “one of the boys”. Now I know all my boys reading this will roll their eyes at me because they always groan when I spout cheesy phrases such as that, but it’s true. Guys tend to judge less, they fight less, and if anything they typically forget easier, so if you do make them angry they likely will not remember a day from now. Here are some of the reasons why I love all the men I am lucky enough to call my best friends:
1. They don't judge
Let me tell you how I made some of my best friends to this day. I may have had one too many drinks, as freshmen in college tend to do. To make a long story short, I met some wonderful men who invited me to their dorm to continue the festivities and shortly found myself comfortably settled in on their floor. What would usually be considered a terrible first impression led to three of my favorite people whom I still care for today? (Again, they will hate me for this. Sorry!) Sure, guys will make fun of you for acting like that. However, they have never held my mistakes against me.
2. They fend off creepy guys
I could not count how many times walking around with a group of guys has come in handy. Though they may not be willing to admit it, guy friends have a protective side. As more emotional beings, girls cater to people’s feelings and therefore often converse with guys who approach them in order to be nice. Boys do not care about that, and will act more bluntly to escape those situations. At a party my sophomore year, a guy approached me and another girl to dance, and my best friend Mitch simply responded with a “we have to go”.
3. They act as a “dad”
Never will I ever forget Halloween my freshman year of college. I sauntered into that same old dorm room my three best friends lived in, and Matt promptly greeted me with a “put some clothes on!”. Many freshmen girls need to hear that on Halloween, and I thank God I had friends great enough to let me know. Guy friends also act like dads when they get protective, as previously mentioned. They will tell you to get home safe, and to text them once you arrive. They offer to walk you home at night no matter how far it may be.
4. They are blunt
And it’s a good thing! Everyone needs a friendly slap in the face now and again. I cannot even recall how many times one of my guys has told me “you can do better than that grade” or “you shouldn’t have done that”. My favorite instance of this occurred recently when a strange man walked around our favorite bar selling roses. He approached me and my good friend, asking “would you like to buy a rose for the lady?”. Ian simply looked at me and responded “no”. A blunt answer with an effective result. This blunt manner usually results in a laugh, making them always a good time to be around.
5. Friend dates are the best
I love my boyfriend. He is ultimately the best guy friend I could ever have. However, he understands I need my time with my other favorite guys sometimes too. There’s nothing like binge-watching a season of Sherlock with a nerdy guy best friend who understands every single plot detail or running out for an impromptu beer-and-burger stop to talk about his recent girl troubles. Boys will always go out for sushi, hockey games, Pokémon hunting, you name it.
6. They don’t step on the boyfriend’s toes
Did I mention they all love my boyfriend as well? This is a crucial benefit to befriending mostly men. They tend to get along with your S.O. beautifully. My group accepted Joe as one of our own immediately, and he often enjoys nerding out over guy things with them (usually video games I don’t understand). Even before you find a relationship, male friends can offer top-notch guy advice, and usually pick out the good from the bad in the blink of an eye. If Mitch had never told me to just go for it, I never would have found my wonderful boyfriend in the first place.
