Should parents decide if you can--or can't--be friends with someone?
Keep Out!
I think that you should be able to choose your own friends! After all, they are the people you’re going to be spending most of your time with! If your mom or dad thinks a new pal might be a bad influence, they should be able to tell you to cool down the friendship. Other than that, though, I think parents should just steer clear of our relationships with friends!
—THERESA, AGE 12, OHIO.
Parental Protection
I don’t think parents should be able to say, “Be friends with this person, don’t be friends with that person,” but if you are hanging out with bad kids, I think that your parents have a right to say something. Parents are there to protect you. Hanging out with a bad bunch of friends is something that your parents need to put a stop to because bad friends do not have a positive influence on you, and bad things can happen.
—AISHA, AGE 11, OHIO.
Parents Know Best
I think parents should be able to choose which friends you hang out with, under one condition: It has to be what is best for you. If your parents can tell that a friend is up to no good or being a bad influence on you, then listen to them because they have probably been through false friendships before and don’t want you to be hurt or in trouble. Remember, hey don’t want to ruin the fun, they just want what’s best for you!
—EMILY, AGE 12, OHIO.
Your Friends, Your Decision
No, they shouldn’t! It should be our choice to make friends with people
we feel comfortable with! If our parents try to make decisions for us our whole lives and tell us who we can and can’t be friends with, we won’t know what to do when we grow up. Besides, what’s the fun of being friends with someone you don’t really like?! Sure, parents can introduce us to new people, but the next step should be our choice!
—MEGAN, AGE 12, OHIO.
Coming up in The Great Debate
Can girls do something to stop the media obsession with celebrities?
What do you think?
Hey, girls! What questions would you like to see in The Great Debate in upcoming issues? Send your ideas our way, and you might just see them in an issue of Discovery Girls!
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