I originally posted this in the Politics board, but upon further review I feel it is better suited here.
A Best Friend? You Must Be Kidding
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/fashion/17BFF.html
"the classic best-friend bond - the two special pals who share secrets and exploits, who gravitate to each other on the playground and who head out the door together every day after school - signals potential trouble for school officials intent on discouraging anything that hints of exclusivity, in part because of concerns about cliques and bullying."
"As the calendar moves into summer, efforts to manage friendships don't stop with the closing of school. In recent years Timber Lake Camp, a co-ed sleep-away camp in Phoenicia, N.Y., has started employing "friendship coaches" to work with campers to help every child become friends with everyone else. If two children seem to be too focused on each other, the camp will make sure to put them on different sports teams, seat them at different ends of the dining table or, perhaps, have a counselor invite one of them to participate in an activity with another child whom they haven't yet gotten to know.
"I don't think it's particularly healthy for a child to rely on one friend," said Jay Jacobs, the camp's director. "If something goes awry, it can be devastating. It also limits a child's ability to explore other options in the world." "
Are you kidding me? Everybody needs a best friend. It's human nature. This is just another misguided attempt by parents to keep their children safe from the perils of the real world, only to do more harm than good.
I really liked the quote at the end of the article:
" "No one can teach you what a great friend is, what a fair-weather friend is, what a treacherous and betraying friend is except to have a great friend, a fair-weather friend or a treacherous and betraying friend," said Michael Thompson, a psychologist who is an author of the book "Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children." "
What do you think guys/gals?
A Best Friend? You Must Be Kidding
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/17/fashion/17BFF.html
"the classic best-friend bond - the two special pals who share secrets and exploits, who gravitate to each other on the playground and who head out the door together every day after school - signals potential trouble for school officials intent on discouraging anything that hints of exclusivity, in part because of concerns about cliques and bullying."
"As the calendar moves into summer, efforts to manage friendships don't stop with the closing of school. In recent years Timber Lake Camp, a co-ed sleep-away camp in Phoenicia, N.Y., has started employing "friendship coaches" to work with campers to help every child become friends with everyone else. If two children seem to be too focused on each other, the camp will make sure to put them on different sports teams, seat them at different ends of the dining table or, perhaps, have a counselor invite one of them to participate in an activity with another child whom they haven't yet gotten to know.
"I don't think it's particularly healthy for a child to rely on one friend," said Jay Jacobs, the camp's director. "If something goes awry, it can be devastating. It also limits a child's ability to explore other options in the world." "
Are you kidding me? Everybody needs a best friend. It's human nature. This is just another misguided attempt by parents to keep their children safe from the perils of the real world, only to do more harm than good.
I really liked the quote at the end of the article:
" "No one can teach you what a great friend is, what a fair-weather friend is, what a treacherous and betraying friend is except to have a great friend, a fair-weather friend or a treacherous and betraying friend," said Michael Thompson, a psychologist who is an author of the book "Best Friends, Worst Enemies: Understanding the Social Lives of Children." "
What do you think guys/gals?
pm me.
