There are certain people who want to be your friends when things are good but won’t be there when your life gets a little rocky. We call these folks fair weather friends – who are on your side when things are great, but leave when things become bad!
This term comes from the analogy that when life is rough it is stormy, and when things are easy it is “fair weather.” These types of friends are also around when they think you can do something for them, but when they feel you are of no use to them they move on.
Why Fair Weather Friends Are Hard to Spot
Fair weather friends are sometimes in your life for a long time. You do things with them. Get to know their family. Perhaps you have helped them time and time again, so when things get rough for you, their lack of support comes as a total surprise. They might seem genuine right up until the time you need them most. It can feel like a huge betrayal to have your closest friends walk out on you when you are down and need some caring and support.
They are friends who fail to answer your calls, remain silent when you need them to stick up for you, and basically blow you off when your life and circumstances are bad. They distance themselves from you when you are struggling.
Fair Weather Friends Who Only Want Your Friendship for What You Can Do for Them
These types of friends don’t just leave when times get rough, they also disappear when whatever it is they got from you is gone.
How Fair Weather Friends Are Different Than Frenemies
On the surface, fair weather friends resemble frenemies, in that they are people you were once close to and now suddenly you are not. Their true colors come out when you have gone through something and now need support and instead find yourself alone.
Frenemies, however, may stick with you through the bad times, if only so they can get information on you that they feel superior over or gossip about. Frenemies may even pretend to be sympathetic during the rough times so they can get inside information about your struggles, which they use to make themselves feel good or to share with others.
Fair weather friends and frenemies are alike in that when it’s all said and done, they do not care about you. That’s why these types of friendships are so difficult to spot and get over. It hurts to think you cared about someone who didn’t care about you in return. It makes you feel foolish, and that you can’t trust your instincts about people.
But the fact is, we have all come across friends like this. Now that you know who the fair weather friends in your life are, it’s time to move on from them. Make a promise to yourself that you will keep the good friends in your life and leave the fair weather friends behind.
Source: about.com
See Also: Spot Your Frenemies: The Kinds of Friends to Avoid & How to Deal with Them
