Some people think
teen boys and girls can never be just friends. Once those darn hormone levels rise, that’s it for
friendship. From then on male-female relationships are all about one thing.
Hooking a partner. As Harry explains in “When Harry Met Sally,” men and women
cannot be just friends. Ever.
Don’t you believe
it.
I’m more into the
Elton John, Making Friends thing from the 1971 movie Friends. The lyrics say that
Friends are found on every road.
I believe that. If
you get a chance, check out the video:
That kind of
thinking belongs to older generations (mine included) when the only reason for
guys and girls to get together was for dating purposes. In the old, old days,
girls stayed with Mom and boys went off with Dad to learn how to become MEN.
The two groups only came in contact when the boys were ready to pick a wife. As
recently as my own generation (I won’t tell you when I was in high school year,
but I am about to become a grandmother) things were almost as bad. Sports,
sciences and the workplace were guy havens. Girls got to cheer on the boys,
took Home Ec, and waited for a guy to ask her out. Yet, even in my day, it was
possible for a guy and a girl to be just friends, without benefits.
I know. I was one of
the lucky girls who had a guy friend.
In a 2001 article for Psychology Today, Camille Chatterjee discussed what she called “cross-sex
buddyhood.”
These days, shared
interests, and even simple proximity do a lot to make these friendships
possible. While there are still challenges to cross-sex friendships, including
the “you’re not really just friends” kinds of comments.
In my upcoming book,
BEING GOD, the teen couple I write about end up calling themselves Platonic
Soulmates. Okay, that’s HER term
for the relationship, HE just calls them buddies. Either way, the result is a
friendship outside the confines of a romantic relationship that helps both of
them through difficult times. I
drew a lot of their interactions from fond memories of my own cross-sex buddy
from high school. (Who says authors don’t pull from their own lives?) Gil and I
were both science nerds—that shared interests thing. Hours in the school
science lab sparked the friendship. We cared about each other, worried about
our achievements. Boyfriends came and went. Gil stayed. I always knew there was
someone I could share with. One of my best high school memories is rushing to
be at the science fair to be with him in case he won an award. He didn’t, so I
was at his side while he dealt with defeat.
Mostly we talked, bragging
on the world-altering discoveries we would make in the future. I was the person he could talk to about
things other than sports. He was the friend I didn’t have to discuss fashion
with. I never cried on his
shoulder about a lost boyfriend, that’s what my female friends were for. He
never asked me to tell a girl he like her, that was his business. I think we
both subconsciously understood there was a line we shouldn’t cross if we wanted
our friendship to continue. We simply enjoyed each other’s company. Gil told me
I was the one person he could share feelings with. He was like a big brother,
without the hassles I had with my real brother. He’s the guy who told me how
guys think.
I was fortunate
enough to watch the same thing happen to my daughter. She and my best friend’s
son became friends in kindergarten. Their friendship lasted over the years,
even though they attended different high schools. She now lives in Illinois and
is expecting her first child. He’s in New Mexico. They still call and chatter
about life together. For them, gender means as little as distance.
Things went a little
different for me. Graduation meant Gil and I went to different colleges. We
lost touch. The same thing happened between me and many of my female friends.
The distance and time thing sucks. But I still remember Gil and the
conversations and feelings we shared. He made my high school years brighter. I hope he remembers me fondly.
Her
debut YA novel, PULL, is the story of a young man’s journey from guilt
and the fear that biology forces him to repeat his father’s violence, to the
realization that his future is in his own hands. Voya called PULL a
book where “…once you've read the first page, you’re hooked.”
Her second novel,
BEING GOD, is about a teenaged alcoholic whose male and female best
friends help pull him through his personal bottom. BEING GOD will be
released in the fall of 2012.
So what about you readers? Have you had experiences with “Platonic Soulmates?” Have you had friends of other genders? Please share how things went for you guys.