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I've always believed that a friendship worth keeping requires more than occasionally telling somebody you miss them.
You have to make an effort.
You have to remember that the other person has a life, too. You have to show up sometimes, even when there's nothing in it for you.
And if you've known someone for forty years, I'd certainly hope you have a few things to laugh about.
That's what caught my attention when I read about the recent Full House cast reunion.
Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber were talking about their friendship, the years they've known one another, and the ridiculous inside jokes that still make them laugh.
Nearly forty years after they first worked together as children, they're still finding reasons to enjoy each other's company.
Now that's a friendship with some mileage on it.
The Full House Cast Reunites Nearly 40 Years Later
Full House premiered in September 1987 and introduced viewers to the Tanner family.
Bob Saget played Danny Tanner, a widowed father raising three daughters with help from his brother-in-law Jesse and his friend Joey.
Jodie Sweetin played Stephanie Tanner, while Andrea Barber played Kimmy Gibbler, the Tanner family's wonderfully irritating next-door neighbor.
Kimmy could be loud, intrusive, and completely oblivious to the fact that not everyone wanted her company every minute of the day.
In other words, she was excellent sitcom material.
But outside the fictional Tanner household, Sweetin and Barber developed a friendship that continued long after the original show ended in 1995.
They worked together again on Fuller House, which ran from 2016 to 2020, and later began hosting the How Rude, Tanneritos! rewatch podcast.
On October 18, 2026, they reunited with several castmates at '90s Con, where they reflected on the bonds that had lasted well beyond their childhood television careers.
Sweetin described the chaos of getting everyone together and the strange, funny feeling of being part of a group with so much shared history.
Barber talked about their inside jokes, including the way they can laugh at things nobody else finds particularly funny.
I understand that.
Sometimes all it takes is one look from someone who knows you well.
Everybody else wonders what's so funny.
You and your friend are practically falling out of your chairs.
And explaining the joke would only ruin it.
Growing Up Together Doesn't Guarantee Staying Friends
I think there's an important distinction between having known someone for a long time and actually maintaining a friendship.
Plenty of people have childhood friends they haven't spoken to in decades.
There's nothing necessarily wrong with that. People move, grow apart, change interests, and develop different priorities.
But the length of a relationship doesn't automatically tell us how strong it is.
A person you met two years ago might be more dependable than someone you've known since kindergarten.
I don't measure friendship simply by how far back it goes.
I measure it by how people treat one another.
Do they keep their word?
Can they be trusted with something private?
Are they willing to listen?
Do they make an effort to stay connected?
And when things become difficult, do they disappear until life becomes entertaining again?
Those questions tell me much more about friendship than the number of years two people have known each other.
What I appreciate about Sweetin and Barber's story is that their relationship didn't end with the television series that brought them together.
They found ways to continue it.
A Real Friendship Needs More Than Nostalgia
I've always enjoyed revisiting old television shows, but nostalgia can only take you so far.
Remembering the good old days is lovely.
Living entirely in them?
Not so much.
The same goes for friendship.
You can spend hours remembering what you did together at thirteen, but if you have no interest in who your friend is today, something is missing.
People change.
They get married, have children, change careers, experience disappointments, and develop interests they didn't have when they were younger.
A good friendship makes room for that.
It doesn't demand that everyone remain exactly as they were forty years ago.
I explored a similar idea in my article about Joe Cruz's departure from Chicago Fire. When someone's circumstances change, the people who genuinely care about him don't suddenly forget he exists. Friendships shouldn't depend entirely on keeping the same job, routine, or lifestyle.
Sweetin and Barber didn't simply attend a reunion, remember their childhood, and go home.
They've continued working together, including revisiting their television history through a podcast.
That doesn't mean every friendship needs a joint business venture.
Good grief, no.
Some friends are better off never sharing a checking account, let alone a business.
But it does show that a relationship can evolve instead of remaining stuck in the past.
And I like that.
Good Friends Don't Have to Agree About Everything
Here's where I get a little old-fashioned.
I don't believe friendship requires agreeing with every opinion somebody has.
If I had to limit myself to people who agreed with me about everything, I'd probably spend an awful lot of time talking to myself.
And even then, I might change my mind about something and start an argument.
I have strong beliefs. I don't hide them.
But I can appreciate somebody's humor, kindness, honesty, and character without expecting her to share every one of my opinions.
What I do expect is basic respect.
Don't lie to me.
Don't betray my confidence.
Don't make promises you have no intention of keeping.
And don't pretend we're friends when you only remember I exist because you need something.
Disagreement is one thing.
Disrespect is another.
A friendship that can't survive a difference of opinion may not have been especially strong in the first place.
But that doesn't mean anyone is obligated to remain close to a person who repeatedly behaves badly.
Loyalty shouldn't become an excuse for tolerating mistreatment.
Sometimes Friendship Is About Laughing Together
I love that Sweetin and Barber talked about laughing at inside jokes nobody else understands.
Because friendship doesn't always have to involve serious conversations, emotional confessions, or helping someone through a crisis.
Sometimes you just need someone who appreciates your sense of humor.
Someone who remembers the ridiculous things you did when you were younger.
Someone who can remind you of an embarrassing moment without making you feel humiliated.
Or someone who understands exactly why you find something funny when everyone else is staring at you.
Humor can make ordinary time together enjoyable.
And I don't think we give that enough credit.
Not every conversation needs to be meaningful.
Sometimes a good laugh is enough.
I developed much of my own sense of humor from television, and I still appreciate people who can recognize the absurdity of a situation without turning every little thing into a crisis.
If you can laugh at yourself, even better.
That's a quality I admire in a person.
And I suspect it's part of what keeps many long friendships enjoyable.
How I'd Keep an Old Friendship Alive
You don't need to organize a reunion or start a podcast to maintain a friendship.
I'd begin with something much simpler.
Get in touch without needing anything.
Send a message because you were thinking about the person.
"I saw something today that reminded me of you. How have you been?"
If a friend has an important event coming up, remember it.
If she mentioned something she's worried about, ask how it went.
If you've both been busy, make an effort to arrange a conversation rather than waiting indefinitely for the other person to do it.
And when you're together, give the person your attention.
Don't spend the entire visit staring at your phone.
Don't make every conversation about yourself.
And please, for the love of common sense, don't ask someone a question only to interrupt the answer halfway through.
You'd think listening would be an obvious part of friendship.
Apparently not always.
I also believe in respecting people's time.
A friend shouldn't have to be available every minute of the day to prove she cares about you.
People have responsibilities, families, work, and sometimes simply need time to themselves.
A good friend understands that.
You Can Be Loyal Without Being a Doormat
I think this is an important point.
Friendship shouldn't be a competition to see who can put up with the most nonsense.
If someone repeatedly lies, borrows money without returning it, shares your private business, or ignores every boundary you establish, you don't have to accept that behavior in the name of loyalty.
Being a mensch includes treating yourself with some dignity, too.
A good friend can make mistakes.
We all do.
But a good friend should also be willing to admit those mistakes and make things right.
That's the kind of friendship I'd want to keep for forty years.
Not one where somebody constantly behaves badly and expects a lifetime exemption from consequences because you've known each other since childhood.
History can be valuable.
It isn't a free pass.
What the Full House Friendships Remind Me Of
When Full House first aired, the premise was built around people coming together to help raise a family.
The characters weren't always related by blood, but they shared responsibilities, disagreements, laughter, and the ordinary chaos of living under one roof.
The real-life friendships among some of the performers give that familiar television idea another dimension.
The cast members grew older. Their careers and lives changed. The original show ended.
And some of those relationships continued.
I wouldn't pretend every cast member is equally close to every other one. That's not something an audience can know from a reunion photograph.
But the friendship Sweetin and Barber describe is something they've maintained over many years.
And I think that's worth appreciating.
Because friendship isn't simply about being there when the circumstances bring you together.
It's about deciding that the other person is worth making room for after those circumstances change.
If someone has been a good friend to you, don't wait forty years for a reunion to let her know you appreciate her.
Make the effort now.
Call. Write. Remember. Listen. Laugh together.
And when you promise to stay in touch, actually do it.
That's not complicated.
It's just being a decent human being.
Or, as I prefer to call it, being a mensch.
Sources and Further Reading
People — Jodie Sweetin and Andrea Barber Reflect on Their Friendship
TV Insider — Full House Cast Reunites at '90s Con 2026
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