ANN ARBOR, MI (University of Michigan) - Making friends is often seen as a natural part of childhood, but it may be easier for some kids than others. Bethany Ulrick tells us about a recent poll of parents and what they think about their kids developing friendships.
A new poll from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital finds that one in five parents say their child between the ages of six and twelve has no friends or not enough friends.
A new poll from the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children's Hospital finds that one in five parents say their child between the ages of six and twelve has no friends or not enough friends.
90% of parents believe their child would like to make new friends. The poll's co-director says while it can be difficult, parents cannot make friends for their children.
Two in three parents also said it was important for their children's friends to come from families that were like theirs.
"I think the big parent mistake is trying to do it for your kid by having a playdate where the adult directs everything or putting kids in activities where the parents are sure an adult will structure everything so there isn't any harmful interaction or hurt feelings, and that kind of thing doesn't let kids develop their social skills," says Sarah Clark, co-director of the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital national poll on children's health.
Two in three parents also said it was important for their children's friends to come from families that were like theirs.
Clark says this commonly involved similar parenting styles, but more than a third of parents said it was important for their kids' friends to come from families with similar political or religious backgrounds.
Clark says this commonly involved similar parenting styles, but more than a third of parents said it was important for their kids' friends to come from families with similar political or religious backgrounds.
"That might suggest to kids that we shouldn't be friends with people who are different, or it might limit kids' ability to develop social skills and friendships that go across different groups. As kids grow up, they're going to need to interact and eventually work with people from all walks of life. And so, it's important that kids have a chance to get started learning how to do that early on," adds Clark.
Around 20% of parents say shyness or being socially awkward got in the way of their child making friends.
