What? No more best friends?!

Can you believe it? The head teacher of a London primary school has said he thinks you should be discouraged from having a best friend at school.

Of course, he comes up with some reasons why he thinks he makes sense, such as

• other girls might feel excluded
• when there’s a split-up you might feel very upset

But surely dealing with those kind of things is all part of growing up? Of learning how to be a social person, how to cope with the world.

Sassy and best friends Taslima and Cordelia.

Not that I think that all girls should have ONE best friend. I think it’s up to the individuals to work out what’s best for them. Sometimes my daughter, Keira, had a best friend. First there was Katy, then there was Jan. Then for a while there was just a big group of girls she went around with, until, when she was about fourteen, and English girl called Elizabeth started at her school. Soon Keira and Elizabeth became inseparable. Many years on, even though Elizabeth now lives in London and Keira lives in Scotland, they’re still in touch, still friends.

My daughter, Keira, with the dark hair, and one of her best friends, Michelle.

And in my books Sassy, Cordelia and Taslima are best friends. Has that silly headteacher never heard of having two bezzies? And they do their best to include Megan, because they know she feels left out sometimes. Maybe we need to get that headteacher to read Seriously Sassy? Or maybe he just needs to grow up a bit and stop trying to interfere in his pupils’ social life!

But maybe you’ve always felt a bit left out? Through no fault of your own you’ve not yet met that one special friend you can really fool around with, have a giggle with. That one person you feel you can trust with your worries and your secrets?

Friends are like fish. They come in all shapes and sizes and colours!

Now I’m all grown up I have quite a few women I regard as being very close friends. Of course, I’ve moved house a few times, as have my friends, so over the years you grow closer to some people, and you don’t see others as often as you’d like to. Just recently I met someone who is fast becoming a close friend. So even if you haven’t made a ‘best friend’ just yet, and would like to, don’t despair. As you go through life you will meet, more than once, someone you get on just swimmingly with!

There are so many brilliant friendships in stories. How many can you name?

Maggi xxx