I love having guys for friends, and I've been this way for as long as I can remember. When I was growing up, I had a balanced mix of friends both boys and girls alike, and to this day it's the same way. I absolutely adore my best girlfriends—they're all like sisters to me, and I love them beyond words. But there's something special about having a guy as one of those best friends. So here are some perks of having a guy as your best friend (or one of them, I should say).

They're calm, cool, and collected.

First and foremost, everything on this list your best girlfriend is perfectly capable of doing too. But let's be honest, sometimes the guys have us beat when it comes to being calm, cool, and collected. Not going to lie when I say that us girls can get wound up pretty easily, and sometimes when we're around our girlfriends and we're going on a rant or having a crisis, we tend to get wound up even more because then our girlfriends get wound up with us. Make sense? Totally. But guys just have an air about them. Half the time they don't see our crisis as that big of a deal, and it can be refreshing to get a different perspective. Guys just tend to be more relaxed. And as an extremely stressed out senior in college, having a calm, cool, and collected guy by my side helps.

They're hilarious.

I don't know about you, but pretty much any guy friend I've had has been hilarious. They have wild stories because, you know, boys will be boys and seem to always have a story of some predicament they managed to get themselves into. I have laughed until I've cried at some of the stories my best guy friends have told me. Whether it was a dare, prank, or just some "really good" idea they had that one time, they never fail to crack me up. Oh, and any kind of shenanigans you want to get into, you know they're down for that. Never a dull moment.

They're protective.

My best girlfriends are very protective of me and I of them. I'm not saying that girls can't be protective; I've been taking a Muay Thai kickboxing class here at Eastern, and there's some girls in there that can throw a mean jab cross. But there's just something that makes you feel safe knowing your best guy friend has your back.

Because you know as soon as you're about to get into a fight or something, they're gonna be there like:

But in all seriousness, your best guy friend is going to look out for you. I can always go to my best guy friends when I'm having a problem, and they always have my back. They're not only going to protect you when you ask them to walk you back to your dorm at night, but they'll also be protective of your heart and have your best interest in mind.

They're laid-back.

Guys just do not care. OK, they do. But they definitely don't care about some of the things that us girls do. Like if our hair, makeup, outfit, and eyebrows are on point. Guys do not notice. They really don't. My hair will be a wreck, I'll feel like my outfit makes me look like a potato, my makeup has smeared off and I look like a rabid raccoon, my eyebrows will have not have been plucked in who knows how long, but I swear they don't notice. Or if they do, they don't care. Now I'm sure our best girlfriends don't really care either, but guys just have a relaxed and chill air about them that makes me feel a little better about looking so crazed.

They're like brothers.

If you don't have a brother, your best guy friend can very easily become like a brother to you. They have their moments where they drive you insane, pick on you, tease you, and play fight with you, but you love them anyway. It's nice to have guys in my life that I know will take care of me if I need them. If I need food, they'll grab it for me. If I need a ride anywhere, they'll always come get me. If I need to text or call them at three in the morning, they will reply or answer. They're always there to give me advice and help me through this crazy life—and for that, I am so thankful.

To all my crazy best guy friends out there (you know who you are), I love you and you're awesome. Thank you for putting up with my crazy, demanding, and stressed out self. You make my life a lot easier.