I remember when I was in fifth grade I went to a public school for the first time. Like most kids, I was worried about if I would make friends and if people would like me. Much to my relief, I made great friends who I always hung out with and some other good friends. In this class everyone was nice to everyone. We were a very small class and there were only three classes in my grade so everyone knew everyone in the fifth grade. I had a group of about four people I would hang out with regularly but every now and then I had the freedom to hang out with other kids in different classes and I didn’t have to worry about coming back to my regular friends and being judged for “ditching” them. I had this freedom because we didn’t have squads.
Everyday we hear these ideas of “squad goals” and see these groups of friends doing really fun activities together. We see these photos on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Snapchat and we think wow that looks fun. Squads are sometimes beneficial. It’s outstanding to see a group of friends standing together to support each other and always be there for each other, but that’s not the case of most squads today. Squads actually make people feel really excluded. Suppose someone had a small gathering and you saw it on social media and thought, “Wow I’m pretty close with this person, why didn’t I get invited?” Sometimes squads are discriminating about who they let in their group. They may judge you by your sexuality, race, religion, gender identity, etc. Some squads don’t allow you to hang out with your other friends because you’re “cheating” on them.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the idea of people supporting each other,being friends and sharing love but sadly, that’s not the case with squads. Squads can be emotionally draining when everyone gossips about each other behind their back or when you all have to go out and every single member has to be there or else they’re not part of the squad. People are supposed to lift each other up, not tear each other down. Find a group of friends who are down-to-earth and easy to cooperate and get along with, not someone who’s going to make you want to tear your hair out.
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