Friendship in Childhood

One award-winning film called"The Big Chill" reinforces the message that "It's a cold world out there, but friends can make it a warmer place. " In this film, I see the best that mature friendships provide. They endure the time and distance to provide comfort, intimacy, support.These friendships help clarify goals and expectations through selfless giving and sharing. However, children's friendship don't begin this way. Friendship in childhood begins as concrete relationships based on pleasurable experiences. As children grow up, friendships involve into a more abstract concept, one based upon mutual considerition and psychological satisfaction.

The role friendships play throughout life is very important, multifaceted, and profound. Friendships for children provide numerious important functions including companyship, stimulation, physical support, social comparison and intimacy. Each of these functions has different degree of importance at different times during development.

As parents, it is important to keep in mind that although friendships follow a somewhat predictable development sequence, as in other areas of development, not all children progress at the same rate and delays are not necessary to concern. In addition, parents who interpret thier chilren's desire for solitary paly as loneliness and attempt to 'push' friends to them, may be make an incorrect assumption. As important as friendships are, like their adults conterparts, children may greatly enjoy and choose solitary activities. It is important to distinguish between being lonely and the desire to be alone, even in childhood.