Friendships, frenemies, and boy banter. Parenting our teens through relationship pitfalls.

Friendships are the bedrock of the teen years. How they operate, and the fear that drives certain behaviour, is a fascinating topic if you’re a parent of tweens and teens, or a teacher trying to guide them.
In this interview with Andrew Hampton FRSA we discusses the challenges girls face in friendships, emphasizing the importance of empathy and empowerment, and why they tend to operate just below the explicit rules.
Andrew explains the concept of "existential imperative" in friendships and the fundamental difference between the things boys and girls fear most. Girls' greatest fear being friendless; boys greatest fear being shame.
I found this perspective fascinating, because it helps explain so much of what drives our kids and how they learn to operate within both explicit and implicit social rules.
Hampton also addresses the impact of pornography on boys' behavior and the need for early intervention in schools to shape healthy relational cultures.
He says parents can best support girls by allowing them to talk about their friendship issues without trying to 'fix' them, and argues for active school-based intervention to support boys in year seven, in order to prevent a 'sour' culture developing in their school.
What do you think? I'd be fascinated to hear your reflections on school culture and tween/teen friendships.
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