The End of The Best Friend

[-Samurai-]

Everyone needs a best friend. They're your best friend for a reason. They get you, and you connect with them on a level that simply can't be achieved with everyone.

I'm 23 years old. I met one(of 2) of my best friends in the second grade. This is a guy that knows absolutely everything about me, and vice versa. We've experienced a lifetime together, and formed a bond you simply can't have with every person you befriend.

My other best friend is someone I met in the 9th grade. We have the same relationship as the one above. I've always been able to count on her, and I can't imagine life without her.

These are people I know I'll be able to trust and count on for the rest of my life. The stability is wonderful. Everyone should be so lucky.

As far as being "devastating" if something "goes awry", no. A true best friend wouldn't let anything ruin the friendship you share. If anything, a problem between best friends will teach them to put aside their differences for the good of both of them.

"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 find it hilarious that they're essentially fostering the "best friend" relationship that they're trying to prevent, by creating a common enemy for the children to bond over. If they wanna be friends, separating them won't help. They'll just use the time they get together to discuss how much they hate you, and that extra thing they share could be what pushes the friendship from casual, to buddy-buddy.

 

[Vohn_exel]

I've never counted one friend as my "best" friend, but I'm smart enough to admit when someone is. I have a best friend right now, and he's one of the few good things in my life. They did stuff like this when I was in school. If you were too close to someone, they'd move you apart. It was fine when they did it once every so often, but it's stupid to keep doing it. Yeah, make sure everyone in the class has at least spoken to each other, but don't try to force everyone to get along.

 

[VivaciousDeimos]

Madness! A best friend is something you can't deny.

Madness? THIS! IS! SPARTA!
Oh, and by the way, you're right, and neither should you try. These people have to realize that kids need to form friendships by themselves so they'll be prepared for the adult world, where there won't be anybody to manage your social relations for you.

And it makes me wonder: these parents weren't given any help, there weren't "friend counselors" when they grew up right? They had to form friendships by themselves. Was it really that hard that they feel the need micromanage every aspect of their children's lives? Didn't the previous generation, for the most part, turn out okay without any of this bullshit interference? And then I think some more and say, well, obviously something went wrong because these are the people responsible for "friend counselors", but I don't think their lack of "friend counselors" was the thing that went wrong.

*Coughs* back on target. Best friends are important. I've had two; the current one part of our inner circle totaling four friends (three girls, one guy) and we're all pretty much best friends to each other. And though it's rare nowadays for all for of us to get together at the same time, when we do, we can talk about things with each other that we can't with anyone else, help each other with our problems--and it's important for children to find, on their own, that support system.

 

[Vitor Goncalves]

I had a best friend through my first 9 years of school, then we drift apart, we still get in touch every now and then but as adults its not the same.

Since then I am more of an outcast, usually shy, even if I try I always end up stuck in a corner with everybody pretty much ignoring me. So I think in that case I rather not even try it and make a full of myself.

But if you can get a best friend, that is almost as good as having a love for life, if not better actually.