Is it better to have a large or small group of friends?

Large

1 of 33

by Norma Budden

• 

Write now Print Invite a writer™ Add to Favorites RSS Feed Contact this writer

True friendships are important to everyone. People hang out with their friends when they feel bored, they have fun together, they share each other's joys and triumphs, and confide in each other about their thoughts, feelings and fears.

While friends are important to small children and adults, they are vital to teenagers. Teenagers go through so many changes in a short period of time that, without peers to relate to, they may feel isolated from society, feeling no one understands what they are going through.

Teenagers can share with their peers the excitement, or frustration, of physical changes taking place in their bodies, as well as the emotional changes they are undergoing. Some days, teenagers appear to be happy and confident while, other days, they are swinging at all-time lows. It's important to have continued support.

Though parents are available for their teenagers - and some teens who are close to their parents take advantage of it - many teenagers feel their parents won't understand because, though they went through the changes before, it was years ago. As a result, teens feel their parents can't be as familiar with their feelings as a person of their own age and, in some cases, they have a point.

Nonetheless, many teenagers have three or four great friends whom they spend most of their free time with, and they trust each other implicitly. As a group, they are united and, individually, they can stand on their own two feet. However, when troubles arise, they have a great support system to back them up and help them through whatever situations arise.

The group is close knit and friendships have been long-standing and, if no major life change was to occur - it would be great for these teenagers to go through life feeling comfortable with their select group of friends with no changes taking place.

However, things change. Friends move away, friends develop other interests and friendships, and other friends die. Change will take place in one form or another. Thus, when a small group of friends are separated by various circumstances, it will be a greater setback for them, emotionally, than if they had been part of a larger group of friends. They wouldn't feel as isolated and lonely because they would have had other friends to turn to.

In addition, when teenagers have a larger circle of responsible friends, they broaden their experiences and knowledge. Their friends have a larger variety of hobbies, interests, and talents and, thus, they have opportunities to learn about, and participate in, activities which may not be possible in groups with small numbers of friends.

Also, when it comes to a celebration, there is no shortage of friends to invite. People are not invited only to fill an allotment of space. They are invited because their presence is desired, and required. Celebrating events with only friends present is relaxing, comforting, and entertaining. Everyone can be themselves without having to worry about what on-lookers may say or think. Also, they don't need to worry about trying to entertain those who can't seem to be entertained, regardless of the number of attempts made. Instead, they can relax and have a delightful time together.

Another benefit of having a large group of friends is when it comes to lending helping hands. When a person asks for help in moving furniture or stacking boxes, a teenager with a small group of friends is only able to offer so many pairs of hands. While every pair of hands is appreciated, it can take a while before the job gets done. However, if there is a group with twice the number of friends involved, the job gets done in half the time. There is more time for doing other things, or helping someone else.

Support systems are great, regardless of the size. Some teenagers are comfortable only having three or four close friends at a time and, if that's the case, they would be miserable trying to keep up with having seven or eight friends in their lives. However, as one friend moves on, room should be made for another to keep a constant balance.

Learn more about this author, Norma Budden.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.