Elmo

I don't think Elmo is that good of a friend. He claims that he is your friend, but when does he call? Does he ever come over? And when he talks to you, when does he listen? When he gets letters from his "friends," he doesn't even believe you because he has to ask 5 different people their opinion, including a randomly selected baby, whom he tells it what to think.

Sure he teaches you about the alphabet. But here are these kids thinking Elmo is their friend, when it couldn't be farther from the truth. Are they learning how to become a friend? No, they are learning quite the opposite. I think as a society we are learning to live alone, we don't know how to approach other people and if we do, we offend people in our first impression. It was interesting to read in a book I picked up, The Friendship Book, by Rita Robinson, whom isn't a Christian writer to warn you and I don't agree with a lot of the book, but she had one chapter right about shy people. A lot of it had to do with the vicious cycle shy people go through each time in a social setting.

It's similar to arguing with someone about a perceived offense and telling the person he or she is rotten instead of making it clear the behavior was rotten. Rather than focusing on the offense, the offended zeros in on the offender. Shy people go a step further by focusing on themselves and their shortcomings instead of on the situation. Shy people assume others are going to judge them harshly.

Another point made in the book was about when they decide to give up the shy act, and become bold in their approaches towards people, they tend to be forceful in their approach. Thus creating a strained atmosphere, and not making any friendships. The shy person backs off feeling failure, and goes back to their old ways, worse off because of a false rejection, generated by themselves.

I don't think this seriously stems from Elmo and his fake friendship, but maybe that puts some perspective on kids and tv "friends." Kids need to get out and interact, and I am a poor example of interaction. Laurel is much better at it, she doesn't care who you are, she will walk up to you and start talking to you like you were friends forever. I wish I had her courage.