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School Nanny Staters Say ‘No Best Friend For You’
The Anchoress, over at First Things, is one of my favorite bloggers. She has a way of cutting right to the chase, yet in a thoughtful and intelligent manner. Her recent post, in response to an article in The New York Times, is a perfect example of why she is one of my must reads.
The article details the views of “experts” who now say that children should be discouraged from having best friends. That’s right. Best Friends Forever, otherwise known as BFFs, are now bad. I wonder if these so-called experts have any friends of their own, or if they’ve chased them all away with their pious “enlightened” mentality. That, or their super annoying sanctimony.
I think this recent trend of completely arse backwards “studies” may actually be retribution by scientists and alleged experts, for being shoved in lockers, receiving atomic wedgies and all that pointing and laughing. I used to just giggle as I imagined them holed up in their little laboratories, shiny slide rules glinting under the fluorescent lights, geekily high-fiving each other’s clipboards. However, all these studies and recommendations and such affect me now, because they are causing steam to come out of my ears with anger and that’s really not a good look for me.
From The New York Times article:
. . . increasingly, some educators and other professionals who work with children are asking a question that might surprise their parents: Should a child really have a best friend?
…
“I think it is kids’ preference to pair up and have that one best friend. As adults — teachers and counselors — we try to encourage them not to do that,” said Christine Laycob, director of counseling at Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School in St. Louis. “We try to talk to kids and work with them to get them to have big groups of friends and not be so possessive about friends.”“Parents sometimes say Johnny needs that one special friend,” she continued. “We say he doesn’t need a best friend.”
Oh, really? And who are you to tell me what my child needs?
LadyGun12
June 24th, 2010
These “experts” probably never HAD a best friend.
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Papadoc
June 24th, 2010
The whole world is our friend. We love everyone. We’re all good people. Everything is beautiful, in it’s own way. Every child is a winner.
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Quaint Tarah
June 24th, 2010
It’s “A Brave New World”.
Explative!
*banging my head on the desk*
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1MadJack
June 24th, 2010
If you’ve got a best friend hang on to him or her. When you get to that later point in life it is nice to have a best friend cause ya ain’t got much else left. I’ve had the same best friend since 1953. So to those that say best friends are a bad idea, flock ‘em!
Lori thank you for the post.
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Wyatt
June 24th, 2010
I had a guy who wanted to be my special friend once. I think he’s doing 10 to 20 at San Quentin.
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Johnny Freedom
June 24th, 2010
Exactly why it should be legal to knock the crap out of someone when they can be shown to deserve it.
scribble
June 24th, 2010
Me thinks schools want to condition children not to be loyal to or trust individuals (the family will be next). Groupthink – start them early.
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Stirrin the Pitcher
June 24th, 2010
James Taylor disagrees with these experts.
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Acornholio
June 24th, 2010
I have their “best friend” right here.
SteveF
June 24th, 2010
It’s time for the ole sledge hammer up side the head. Some people simple do not deserve to live.
illustr8r
June 24th, 2010
OMG-
NO BFF?
WTF!!!
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Althing
June 24th, 2010
I married my best friend. Lucky for me my best friend is cute and has boobies.
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jclady
June 24th, 2010
@Althing — I’m with you. Except my best friend is handsome and has muscles.
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Bigun
June 24th, 2010
I’m with you, Althing. I married my best friend too and she remains as such today.
I can be friendly to many, friends are far fewer because there’s a higher standard with that connotation.
The government and schools need to stay the hell away from indoctrinating our kids. (Good article, Lori.)
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Jor-El Lives
June 24th, 2010
Those stupid idiots. You can have a friend closer than a brother. I do. Also, an old saying, “You’re lucky if you have one good fiend to be at your side as you go through life.”
Jor-El Lives!
June 24th, 2010
Correction: friend, not fiend.
Bigun
June 24th, 2010
@Jor-El Lives!, both way’s you’re correct.
Jor-El Lives!
June 24th, 2010
@Bigun
I must admit I thought the same thing. LOL
But @scribble’s got it. That would make sense. Conditioning for the NWO.
Two plus two equals five. Yes. That’s right. I’m sure it does, because Big Brother told me so.
Wyatt
June 24th, 2010
@althing: o.k., I’ll be the designated 21st Century Progressive – your best friend may be cute and have boobies, but also female?
Sorry, I couldn’t get the Al Gore picture out of my mind.
rebecca
June 24th, 2010
Are we the only sane people left in this world? How big does the bunker have to be if we all just hooked up and created our own Island of Misfit Toys (as Doc would say)? Lived by our shared efforts, morals, virtues and desires…ate the food that Quaint grows, cooked the eggs from Cowgirl’s chickens, let Matt work on our vehicles, celebrated with Cakes’ cakes, let Reeko and Free Willie stand guard. I think Wyatt could teach the kids, Fur could have an art class, Admin girl will hook up our network and Hippie can have a science fair – who else wants in?
Geez, I am so tired of these loons and want someone to turn off the lights in this country and holler over the loudspeaker – It’s time for all liberals to leave the nation.
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Althing
June 24th, 2010
Yes, Wyatt, very thankfully female. Born that way too.
I’m gonna have to think of my particular worth in that group, Rebecca, but I want in that bunker! I’m a jack of all trades, one helluva shot with a gun and can play a mean guitar! How much is somebody worth if they can play Rush’s YYZ?
Wyatt
June 24th, 2010
@Althing: Just checking. Sometimes I try to be Progressive to see what that’s like. It sucks.
Dudeman
June 24th, 2010
It is ideas like this that reaffirm why my best friend and wife (who happen to be the same person) home school. And we are the ones who are crazy.
Althing
June 24th, 2010
No problemo, Wyatt. We all gotta walk on the wild side sometimes.
rebecca
June 24th, 2010
Oh, for sure, Althing — we’ll all be there! And we will need plenty of music! Can you build a campfire? I’ll bring the marshmallows, ha ha.
jclady
June 24th, 2010
@rebecca — I can pour the drinks!
Chris
June 24th, 2010
As if they haven’t screwed this generation up enough with their bullshit social engineering…
Frosteetoes
June 24th, 2010
People let me tell ya ’bout my best friend
he’s my one boy, cuddly toy my up my down my friend joy.
People let me tell ya that he’s so much fun whether we’re walking in the rain or whether we’re walking in the sun…
ScratchNSniff
June 24th, 2010
WTF?! No best friend. Hells bells, who’s gonna date the ugly chick so that I can score with the hot one now?
RevolutionNow
June 24th, 2010
@FrostyToes
The Courtship of Eddies Father”? You don’t look old enough to even remember that from Nick at Night.
Frosteetoes
June 24th, 2010
I was a lil kid during it’s first run RevolutionNow.
I didn’t know Nick at Night ran it too.
Quaint Tarah
June 24th, 2010
@Rebecca, Okay, but I’ll need help with growing things. I have *sigh* kinda have a black thumb. But that could be ’cause I live in a desert. Hubby (RevolutionNow) can stand guard and builds great fires. My kids can sweep floors, clean tubs and toilets. And we’ll feed prisoners to the wolf.
conservative cowgirl
June 24th, 2010
““We try to talk to kids and work with them to get them to have big groups of friends and not be so possessive about friends.”
Because how else can they teach them to “group think”? You wouldn’t want them to learn how to bounce ideas off one really close friend who understands you more than anyone else, would you? Because the statists wish to prepare the little ones to accept group think and the government running every bleeding aspect of their lives. No independent thinkers wanted by the statists.
So, where is our bunker going to be??
RevolutionNow
June 24th, 2010
FrosteeToes you’ve aged well, your Avatar doesn’t look a day over one.
BTW I love the Avatar where did you find it (I’m a big softy for babies – explains the three I got I suppose)
ScratchNSniff
June 24th, 2010
@Rebecca, I’ve been told I don’t play well with others. So I’ll have to survive on my own. Sounds fun for like 0 minutes though. Ya’ll have fun though. I’ll be poaching the king’s deer in the forest if ya’ll need me.
Bill
June 25th, 2010
Finding a best friend at school is a natural thing.
Why are the liberals who promote natural things always looking to change nature in these ways?
Because they never had a best friend in school and were picked on and now they are getting even ?
Oh, and Death to Islam !
equityveritas
June 25th, 2010
Dictate: what to eat? check. what to drive? check. when to sleep? check (Japan). what are acceptable forms of recreation? check. what types of relationships to have? check.