How Your Teenager Friendship Can Affect Their Adulthood

Friendship is important at any stage of your life. Good friendship enriches your life in myriad ways and creates a support system for those who are there for you, both good and bad. And as important as friendship is, the relationships formed between teens are particularly influential. These friendships can help shape the flow of your child’s life and infuse confidence that they can help them better navigate the challenges of young adulthood.

“Our sense of identity is shaped in adolescence,” said Emily Simonian, a licensed marriage and family therapist and head of clinical learning. Thriveworks.. “This includes social identity.”

Why friendship becomes more important in adolescence

Adolescence is when your child is beginning to form their own identity outside their immediate family. “In elementary school, you are very attached to your parents,” said Simonian. “That’s where you get a sense of self-confidence and safety.”

But when the child enters puberty, Relationships with the outside world are becoming more important. Good friendship can strengthen your sense of self-confidence and security. “When a strong friendship is formed, your social identity has an underlying sense of security,” said Simonian.

These friendships also act as protective buffers and help protect teens from difficult times.recently CDC report Examining the impact of pandemics on high school students’ mental health, students who reported intimate friendships were significantly less likely to have poor mental health than those who did not. This protective effect included teenagers who were effectively connected to others.

Strong friendship is more important than popularity

Friendships What was formed during the teens can be particularly influential.As research shows, these friendships can help Short-term and long-term academic successcause Better mental health as an adultAnd leads to more Satisfy romantic relationships..

When it comes to predicting which teenagers are likely to succeed in life, It actually Not about popularity..As Joseph AllenA psychologist at the University of Virginia, who is studying the long-term effects of teenage friendship, recently said Washington post“It’s not who the party life is. Two 9th graders [are] On Friday night, you’ll sit in the basement, watch YouTube videos, eat cookies, build lasting friendships, and teach you the skills you need to grow up. ”

How parents can support these friendships

For parents The best thing to do to support these friendships With their tweens Teens can Develop a sense of unique identity, including forming friendships on unique terms. “You want to give them a little independence and space to start fostering their intimate friendships,” said Simonian.

However, you want to give them the space they need, but “parents support their teens and their friendship by asking them about their friends, and they pay homage. You can be sure that you are in a friendship to do, “said Simonian.

If you’re worried about teenage friendships, it’s a good idea to ask free-form questions instead of giving advice. “If teens aren’t aware of toxic friendships (which is sometimes the case), parents can help them contact Wit.h connect their experiences and emotions, “she said.