One factor that goes into a child's well being is the environment or group of people that the child grows up with. There's a saying that we are the "average of the people we spend the most time with". If a child grows up with a group of misfits and troublemakers, the child is most likely going to have a troubled life ahead of him/her. If the child grows up with hard working, intellectual people, the child is very likely to adopt their values and work hard to stay at the same level with them.
I totally agree with this idea. Children easily give in to peer pressure usually and so they will manipulate their ideas, actions, and beliefs to coincide with those of their friends. Selecting friends can either bring up a person up or drag them down. I've seen it happen that smart kids stop doing well in school or sports because their friends don't see that as cool, but I've also had friends who didn't really try very hard in school unless pushed to do so by the people they hung out with. Selecting the right group of friends is very important.
I also completely agree. All a child wants to do is belong. They want to feel that sense of belonging to a group. This is the most typical thing ever. You see it all the time whether it is elementary, junior high, or high school. There are always those "clicks" those different types of groups of friends who group up with each other and all have the same attitudes.
I agree with the post. Friends play a huge roll on the child's well-being. A parent can only teach a child so much. Friends have the potential to reinforce the secure base or destroy it. Not everyone grows up with parents. Child playmates are more common than growing up with both parents.
I agree that a child wants to be able to fit in with the crowd he or she is with. Having a sense of belonging with a group tends to be very important especially during childhood and adolescence.
