Recently I have come to think about what friendship means to me.  I think people tend to take that word a little too loosely.  It's not the other parent on the same team as your child, nor is it someone that you work with on an everyday basis.  I know that everyone has their own ideas of what a friend is, and how they are your friend, but what I have come to realize is that it's not the quantity but the quality that matters the most in the end.
I have a few things that I try to look for in a friend.  I think they are pretty good traits and I hope that one day my kids will understand why I look for those traits in others when choosing my friends.

1. Open minded.  I am open to all new ideas, thoughts, actions.  I know that there is a difference of hearing the idea that sounds a little impracticable and doing it.  I think I just like friends that can at least discuss things without the fear that they (or I) might offend the other person.
2. Intelligent.  Now I am not saying that they have to be a PhD in anything, but I think someone with a bit more common sense than normal seems to work well. 
3. Nice.  Not Mr.Rogers kind of nice (that is just creepy).  I am talking about how you treat others that aren't your friends, colleges, or what ever you consider your equals.  I am talking about what others refer to as "the little people".  I don't care if the pizza guy took over two hours to get there.  Be nice, that person may be having a worse day than you are.
4. Follows through.  There is nothing worse than a friend that you make plans with and doesn't follow through with them.  I understand when things don't work out occasionally and you can't be there, but when they do it 3 out of 4 times, it shows they don't really care.  Even bigger on that list is when they know sometimes weeks in advance they can't do it and they don't tell you about it until you call them. 
5. Honesty.  I know most people are honest up to an extent, but I am talking about a whole new level of it.  You think something I said was stupid, tell me flat out.  I don't want to hear it from someone else that you think that.  I would then discuss it with you like an adult and see if I was actually saying something stupid, or if it was just a miss communication.  

There are also things that will turn me away from being your friend as well.  I don't know about other people but I call them some of my pet peeves.  Don't get me wrong, I do try to turn the other cheek and not worry about it, but sometimes even that doesn't work.  It happens mostly when someone does these things on a very regular basis and drives me nuts with them.  If you are a really good friend, I will just let you know what it is that you are doing.

1. Whining.  May that be about your past, present, or future.  I understand when someone needs to complain about something, but don't whine about it and not try to fix it.  Also own up to what you have done (or has been done to you) in the past and don't whine about it.  You can't change it so don't worry about it.  
2. Rudeness.  Don't be rude and show up 2 hours late when you say you are going to be there without so much as a phone call.  Don't be rude to others unless they started it and you needed to end it.  Also don't ask me to come over then have me "help" you with something.  If you need help, call and ask me to help.  I am more than willing to help when I am not being "buttered" up.  It's just rude.
3. Lack of acceptance.  It just kills me when I try to accept the things as they come.  If a friend has to cancel on me, I accept it and we go from there.  I expect the same thing.  I don't want a guilt trip if I have to cancel plans.  I feel bad enough as it is and the guilt trips and trying to bully me into doing something doesn't help your cause any.  Also when you act like that, it makes me less likely to go out of my way to help you in the future too.
4. Users.  We all have had a friend from our past that said they wanted to be our friend, but it turned out they did only for what we gave them.  They used us for money, food, help, etc.  It is a take, take, take situation and they don't give in return.  If they do give, it's such a small amount and they think it makes up for everything they have taken. 

I am sure that I missed something, but I can't remember what it is.  In any case, I am sure you got the point.
Family is and always will be your family, but your friends are the family that you choose.  I choose who I want to be in my family very carefully.  Some I may have no say so in the matter because they are apart of my mans family, but when it comes to my side of the family, I only want the best when it comes to them.  I may not have many of them, but the ones that I do have, are the best.