An essential part of childhood is friendship and most children realise the need to have a friend or two to make life more fun, especially in school or their immediate community. However, the influence of friends can be both positive and negative, so parents should find ways to ensure their children’s friendships are not detrimental to them.
On the positive side, a child’s friends can motivate them to try activities they might not do on their own because of fear or embarrassment. Thus, some children dabble in sports or the arts because their friends are doing the same. Friends are also a source of help and encouragement when things are tough in school or the family. By lending their expertise or providing sympathy, friends are a blessing in difficult times.
Despite this, on the negative side, some friends can steer a child in the wrong direction. Bullying is something many children copy from their friends until they become full-fledged bullies themselves. There are also many vices children pick up from the wrong crowd in school or their community, such as pornography, drinking, smoking, and even overindulging in video games.
Since children should have a good set of friends, parents must do their part to ensure that happens. One way is for parents to know who these friends are, by inquiring about them and learning what they do together. Having these friends over for a meal also allows parents to observe and determine the influence such friends have on their children. Another important task for parents is to educate their children on moral values. There will come a time when parents will no longer be able to dictate who their children choose as friends. But if their children understand right and wrong and are aware of the telltale signs that they are being misled, they will know who to keep and who to drop from their inner circle.
To sum up, friendship is an important part of a child’s formative years as good friends can help a child become better in the different aspects of life. However, parents must be actively involved in monitoring and teaching their children about selecting their friends well to ensure their k