Opposite-Sex Friendships in the Earlier

¶ … Opposite-Sex Friendships

In the earlier years, middle childhood period which begins between the ages 5-6 and ends at ages 10-12was regarded as a period in which children increasingly gain the ability to play a future role in improving and maintaining the economic status of the community and the family. This is marked by the different responsibilities that are entrusted to each of the sexes in different communities as that particular community deems fit. In some of the communities, the girls and boys are trained into varying roles with girls being assigned feminine roles and the boys the more muscular roles (Angier & Natalie, 2012)

It is at this age that the brain of the child is said to be at its peak in terms of how he/she relates socially, in education and even when playing. The children tend to be so curious, physically active and it is at this age that they have the desire to learn new things and make new friends and a variation of things they may consider a "discovery." The child experiences cognitive, social, physical and emotional development.

As the children approach the middle childhood which is generally between 6 to 11 years of age (CDC, 2011) the statute and the weight of the child begin to vary due to physical growth. At this time, the child tends to form stronger and more complex friendships as well as peer relationships; they tend to have an emotional need to have friends especially of the same sex. There is a tendency of the children comparing themselves to one as they become more aware of their bodies due to the approaching puberty hence building insecurities and fears in his or her life. At this point it is essential for the parent or guardian to step in to encourage the child with some assurance that they are normal and are undergoing a process in their life.

The brain of the child is now fully developed. The cognitive skills play a big role in the behavioral patterns of a child as they are able to uphold some moral issues in life by aping from actions observed around his or her world: these include teachers, parents or other relatives. The girl child in the present age is being given more attention than the boy child hence raising concerns about the boy child who seems to have been neglected.

In this case the child comes out with the aim of showing off what they have achieved and it is from the group of friends of the same sex that they can get the approval to commence such behaviors.

This phase of life is experienced differently depending on the environmental surroundings e.g. The socio economic status or the structure of the family. This is a critical stage in development of both moral and social values. At this age peers become as important as family members. They will strive to fit in particular groups where they can share the same ideas and tell stories; this way, they build trust and gain intimacy among themselves. The peers become not only playmates but confidants hence it is quite important for a parent to know who their child is hanging out with to avoid bad influence (Kennedy-Moore Eileen, 2012).

Since the children are then able to do everything as a team including work and playing, boys tend to identify with masculinity while girls tend to identify with feminism less; the boy tends to want to act like the man in the house and take on the role of protecting the mom and the home whereas the girl tends to look up to the dad although she helps mom in doing the house chores whenever.