Acquaintance to Friend to Something More
There is actually some science to developing friendships. First of all, people become acquaintances. That means that they know each other, usually in one setting. We know parents whose children are members of the same sports time as your child, for example. They are acquaintances because all we really have in common is our children's activities. Some people are comfortable having lots of acquaintances and never desire the relationship to progress further. You cross the acquaintance threshold into the friend zone when you decide to take the relationship to a different level. You get to know that person in more than one setting. You go out for coffee with an acquaintance that you know from the gym. You start meeting acquaintances from work on Fridays for a week-end beverage and debrief. You talk and you find out more than them. There are casual friends. You enjoy spending time with them, but you are not going to trust them wi...