There are certain things we never do without taking our friends' opinions. Take uploading a profile picture, for example. The struggle of going through several thousand pictures of your birthday party and choosing that one, precious profile picture is real. And guess who come forward making that job easier for you? Your friends. No wonder you have spent so much time of your life giving choosing credits and writing the term "#CauseMaishaSaidSo"; it's the least you can do in return. Statistics say your present profile picture might be the deciding factor of who you will marry in the future- so think about how important a role your friends are playing in your life. 

Jokes apart, the idea of counseling or advising your friend to do or to not do something isn't new. In a world where we are connected with our friends 24/7, it is difficult to not let them into our deepest secrets, or share almost everything with them. In most colleges abroad, there are peer counseling groups where people of same ages counsel each other. Although we have nothing close to that here, peer counseling is something we might have done at one point or other. Whether it's about giving your troubled friend a giant list of why he/she shouldn't start smoking, or encouraging them to approach their crush, it's always great to give and take advices from peers.

It is true that parents are our biggest strengths, and we are to go to them whenever we need help, support or anything at all. But there are certain things we can never comfortably share with our parents. When we are sad and the only thing that makes sense in the world is to go under the blankets and never come out, it's often difficult to make parents understand that it's not something we are doing as an excuse for not studying. That's when friends can be comforting, because they might, more or less, be facing the same things as we are. The problems which might seem trivial to your parents can be of great intensity to both you and your friend. To which, Armin, 19, says, "You never get to see your parents as confused teenagers. To you, they are always composed and collected and they don't deal with "insignificant drama" that drives you insane. It's freeing to tell your peers."

As teenagers, we are more connected to our friends than to anyone in our families. We send them 7 second snaps of even the littlest details of our lives, or we simply take classes together; we are kind of in sync all the time. So, rightly, when your friend is troubled, or needs to talk to someone, you're the first to know. Similarly, it is your advice that your friend will value most. So the next time you see a friend starting to get hooked on a bad habit, remember you can stop him first hand. 

On a lighter note, peer counseling is something we do almost every day. When was the last time you told a friend, "Don't do this, dost. Don't share those posts from Filmygyan anymore"? For me, it was an hour ago.

So, go, talk to your friend and hear them out. Make your brains work together. Like Arisha, 18, says, "To me, talking to peers and exchanging opinions is like a give and take of hope."

But sometimes, things aren't that easy. Come to think of it, we are only as experienced as our friends are. Yes, you can tell your friends about your daily problems, and your daily dramas, and how you just broke up and patched up with your boyfriend over the last one hour but on a wider scale of problems, your friends are just as incapable of making sense of things as you are. It is at this time when someone older than you can give you legit guidance; whether that's a parent, or a sibling, or even your teacher. When friends tell you how awesome you are, your parents will let you know the piece of $#!+ you actually are. This might seem awful for the time being, but it is this $#!+-y feeling that will honestly let you know about your mistakes and errors. 

In spite of that, since communication and who you spend the broader part of your day with matters, it is your friend who can give you a shoulder to cry on or a pat on the back when all else has failed; unless you are friends with the white witch from Narnia. That's a no-no.

When we are friends with someone, it is that certain selectively permeable boundary that we need to cross to have a more in-depth conversation than our usual "Dost, kalke class koytay?" But really, who will tell your friend, "Don't do this, my friend. You deserve better.", if not you? 

Mashiat Lamisa is often seen frowning at the sight of people who dislike poetry and tomatoes. She can be reached at mashiatlamisa@outlook.com