Benefits of friendship
IN today’s digital world, human interactions are slowly taking a backseat. Just look around us: people are more intent on fiddling with their gadgets than talking to those sitting next to them. But before we start blaming others, we must be honest to ourselves. Are we guilty of that too on occasions?
Since the digital challenge is here to stay, parents must be aware of its negative consequences. One such consequence is the lack of friendship among our children. A parent recently complained to me that his children no longer enjoyed going out to play with the other neighbourhood children. They’d rather spend the afternoon indoors, absorbed in the latest games.
We should be worried if we or our children are not making friends. We must enable friendships to happen. We must find ways to get our children to play and mingle with other children. They must get out and experience the real feeling of kicking a ball with friends. Experiencing it on the game console is just not the same.
A recent article in The Washington Post highlighted the importance of friendship for our children by quoting Paul Schwartz, a professor of psychology and child behaviour expert, who has noted the many benefits of childhood friendship.
“Friendships contribute significantly to the development of social skills, such as being sensitive to another’s viewpoints, learning the rules of conversation, and age-appropriate behaviours,” wrote Schwartz in an article in the Hudson Valley Parent. “More than half the children referred for emotional behavioural problems have no friends or find difficulty interacting with peers.
“Friends also have a powerful influence on a child’s positive and negative school performance and may also help to encourage or discourage deviant behaviours,” he continued.
“Compared to children who lack friends, children with ‘good’ friends have higher self-esteem, act more socially, can cope with life stresses and transitions, and are also less victimised by peers.”
CritiCaL sKiLL
Since friendship is so joyful and important, we must ensure that our children get to experience a healthy friendship as well. The year end is coming. Encourage them to have plans with their friends. Start by getting to know them first.
Your children can organise an “after exam” party. Watch them have fun. Watch them forge a bond that may last a lifetime. Watch their happiness grow as they interact with one another. Smile when you see them enjoy the party. Be grateful as the positivity and friendship develop.
Social skills are developed through friendships. It’s a critical skill for a brighter tomorrow. Friends teach us about appropriate behaviours and communication skills as well. We also learn to control our emotions around them. These are critical skills not taught in schools. As such, it’s our duty to ensure that our children experience the beautiful feeling of friendship. Just like what we may have experienced with our friends, they too can create friendships that last a lifetime.