School girls whispering to each other (© John Slater/Getty Images)

Strict English primary schools establish ‘no best friends’ rule

3/25/2012

Anyone who's been through elementary school is familiar with the litany of school rules -- raise your hand, don't chew gum, no talking out of turn, etc. -- but a number of primary schools in England are going quite a bit further by telling children they can't have best friends. According to the Daily Mail, the aim is to shelter young children from the pain of breaking up with a best friend, though a number of critics say the rule, which encourages children to play in large groups rather than smaller cliques, is both unrealistic and prevents kids from learning about the sometimes-painful realities of real life.

 

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How would you enforce the rule?