Can a boy and a girl be friends? They can, and they should!
They may face undue and unjustified censure from some parts of society, but a CNN report states that friendships between people of opposite genders are essential.
A girl playing with a boy might feel free to be competitive, a trait normally associated with boys, while a boy, playing with girls may feel free to be talkative and emotional. A child, questioning his or her gender, might feel free to explore part of him, her or themselves that culture forces them to bury.
These friendships allow children to prepare for adulthood, when they will work alongside, and might even be romantically inclined to another gender. Friendships allow children to see the complexity of humanity. Children who have grown up with strong demarcations between the two genders might have a tough time seeing and accepting them.
Girl-boy friendship can help undo heteronormative gender constraints. When authority figures in schools or parents approve of these friendships, they are sending their children the message that it’s not only okay to play with another gender, but it is also okay to play like them.
There are a lot of benefits to girl-boy friendships that will help them as they grow up. According to author Rachel Simmons, exposing youngsters to different ways of conflict resolution helps them to learn to move freely between the two.