ABSTRACT
Learning about friendship is one of the most crucial experiences our kids have as they grow up. The interactions and challenges that arise with friends as mediated by games, social media, group texts, or video chats are not wholly different from the challenges of navigating these relationships face-to-face, but there are some new social rules and nuances we can help our kids understand. Some young people also start having crushes and possibly dating in middle school or high school. As with friendships, these romantic relationships are not so different than young relationships have ever been (school dances are still terribly awkward, for instance), but they have new dimensions we need to consider.
