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Friendships are very significant in the world of children’s culture. Friendships give children the opportunity to learn and develop through sharing experiences, emotions and activities
Friendships can be the basis of shared emotions and social skills such as, communication, empathy, love, sharing and cooperation
Children also use friendships to compare themselves to others which help them create their own identities and sometimes even inspire them as to who they do or do not want to be
Psychologists such as Jean Piaget have identified that children’s friendship develops over set stages
Pahl (2000) believes that children’s friendships also change depending on the social contexts and the types of people they encounter, meaning friends can change depending on the immediate situation at that time.
Teenage friendships are normally based on shared understandings too and friends are often chosen because the young person can trust and rely on the other
Anthropologists try to broaden our understanding of majority world relationships by conducting ethnographic research to try and understand what they mean by concepts such as “friendship, play or childhood”.
The places where children share friendships will depend largely on their age and the restrictions imposed by their parents
At home is where young children often form friendships, such as in nursery groups or with local neighbours
Although most children have the support of families and friends some children live on the streets
Gender can also play a role in deciding and influencing friendship choices made in childhood
Boys friendships – Although girls seemed very open to talking about their feelings for their friends boys do not seem so eager to discuss how they feel about friends
