Mia Lellios
Frayed Friendships
Friendship bracelets, typically created with strings of a multitude of colors and patterns, and often handmade, cycle through every child’s accessory box. Bracelets like these originated in Native American cultures where a person would personalize a bracelet for their loved ones and make a wish. After receiving a bracelet, one must let it fall off naturally instead of ever taking it off. The wish the creator made would only come true after the frayed bracelet fell on its own. The bracelets kids and teenagers make nowadays do not have such symbolism. Since the 1970s, friendship bracelets have represented a supposed everlasting friendship with another person. I have personally never had enough luck to keep a friend nor a friendship bracelet long enough for something that meaningful to happen.
Friendship bracelets defined my childhood. Mine and every other fifth grader’s little arms dripped bracelets. But, making friendship bracelets - then and now - remains a grueling task. Although worth the sweet reward of a cute bracelet, hunching over a table and repeatedly pushing the soft, silky string from one finger to the next in order to tie little knots in a specific pattern for at least two hours stinks: Green, blue, teal, white, teal, blue, green, repeat. Not to mention the time it takes to learn what the little arrows on the pattern charts mean. Before you even start you need to pick from the infinite number of patterns online which feels extremely difficult when plagued by childhood indecision. A million different websites exist where you can find all the patterns your heart desires. You could pick an easy beginners one or a complicated more advanced one. You can even find a logo or cartoon character sometimes. The unlimited possibilities make it fun and simultaneously overwhelming.
Friendship bracelets, while usually made with string, may consist of other materials as well. I had a hundred bracelets with half a heart that completed the other half my friends had. Inexpensive stores, such as Justice or Claire’s provided a plethora of options, and sometimes you could make some with the letter beads to spell out “Best Friends” with yet another heart. The bracelets held meaning for about one week before getting lost into the abyss I call my room only to magically reappear years later.
During the summer going into my fifth grade year, I vividly remember going to sleep away camp for two weeks and‒ oh my gosh‒ the number of friendship bracelets I made; countless. The prohibition of any electronics at this camp, common at most sleep away camps, made bracelet-making my substitute for watching television. One of my other cabinmates and I stalked the inside of the arts and crafts center that smelled like sunscreen and smokey remnants leftover from the bonfire the previous night. As such frequent occupants, counselors constantly asked us to leave so other campers could get a turn. We would reluctantly leave the center with another bracelet added to the collection that already covered our arms from our elbows down.
Making the bracelets, a mindless task, gave us time to talk about our families, a new crush, or really anything. Sometimes we would just spew information out in hopes of sparking a new conversation so iHeart Radio’s Top 40 was not the only thing echoing in our ears. It didn’t matter what we talked about as long as we talked.
At the end of camp, we said our goodbyes and parted ways, forgetting to exchange contact information through our parents. I do not even remember her name, but I do know she provided me comfort at camp and for that, I feel grateful to have made a couple friendship bracelets with her.
As a human race, we tend to give ourselves hope that things will last forever. But life doesn’t work that way. People move on, situations change, and relationships tend to grow apart as life takes us on whatever path we follow. As young children, we believe in hope and joy and we have big dreams. We have not experienced a lot in life and remain sheltered from the negative aspects by our parents. As children we have the capability to think big and in our minds, nothing will change. Our best friends will stay our best friends until we die. Life shoves us into a harsh reality when we grow up and start to live in the real world where nothing remains permanent. Our memories will fade and our friendship bracelets will fray. But, when learning from these losses, we gain the opportunity to grow as a friend to another person ‒even as humans.
I give friendship bracelets three and a half stars.
Frayed Friendships
Friendship bracelets, typically created with strings of a multitude of colors and patterns, and often handmade, cycle through every child’s accessory box. Bracelets like these originated in Native American cultures where a person would personalize a bracelet for their loved ones and make a wish. After receiving a bracelet, one must let it fall off naturally instead of ever taking it off. The wish the creator made would only come true after the frayed bracelet fell on its own. The bracelets kids and teenagers make nowadays do not have such symbolism. Since the 1970s, friendship bracelets have represented a supposed everlasting friendship with another person. I have personally never had enough luck to keep a friend nor a friendship bracelet long enough for something that meaningful to happen.
Friendship bracelets defined my childhood. Mine and every other fifth grader’s little arms dripped bracelets. But, making friendship bracelets - then and now - remains a grueling task. Although worth the sweet reward of a cute bracelet, hunching over a table and repeatedly pushing the soft, silky string from one finger to the next in order to tie little knots in a specific pattern for at least two hours stinks: Green, blue, teal, white, teal, blue, green, repeat. Not to mention the time it takes to learn what the little arrows on the pattern charts mean. Before you even start you need to pick from the infinite number of patterns online which feels extremely difficult when plagued by childhood indecision. A million different websites exist where you can find all the patterns your heart desires. You could pick an easy beginners one or a complicated more advanced one. You can even find a logo or cartoon character sometimes. The unlimited possibilities make it fun and simultaneously overwhelming.
Friendship bracelets, while usually made with string, may consist of other materials as well. I had a hundred bracelets with half a heart that completed the other half my friends had. Inexpensive stores, such as Justice or Claire’s provided a plethora of options, and sometimes you could make some with the letter beads to spell out “Best Friends” with yet another heart. The bracelets held meaning for about one week before getting lost into the abyss I call my room only to magically reappear years later.
During the summer going into my fifth grade year, I vividly remember going to sleep away camp for two weeks and‒ oh my gosh‒ the number of friendship bracelets I made; countless. The prohibition of any electronics at this camp, common at most sleep away camps, made bracelet-making my substitute for watching television. One of my other cabinmates and I stalked the inside of the arts and crafts center that smelled like sunscreen and smokey remnants leftover from the bonfire the previous night. As such frequent occupants, counselors constantly asked us to leave so other campers could get a turn. We would reluctantly leave the center with another bracelet added to the collection that already covered our arms from our elbows down.
Making the bracelets, a mindless task, gave us time to talk about our families, a new crush, or really anything. Sometimes we would just spew information out in hopes of sparking a new conversation so iHeart Radio’s Top 40 was not the only thing echoing in our ears. It didn’t matter what we talked about as long as we talked.
At the end of camp, we said our goodbyes and parted ways, forgetting to exchange contact information through our parents. I do not even remember her name, but I do know she provided me comfort at camp and for that, I feel grateful to have made a couple friendship bracelets with her.
As a human race, we tend to give ourselves hope that things will last forever. But life doesn’t work that way. People move on, situations change, and relationships tend to grow apart as life takes us on whatever path we follow. As young children, we believe in hope and joy and we have big dreams. We have not experienced a lot in life and remain sheltered from the negative aspects by our parents. As children we have the capability to think big and in our minds, nothing will change. Our best friends will stay our best friends until we die. Life shoves us into a harsh reality when we grow up and start to live in the real world where nothing remains permanent. Our memories will fade and our friendship bracelets will fray. But, when learning from these losses, we gain the opportunity to grow as a friend to another person ‒even as humans.
I give friendship bracelets three and a half stars.