Elena L. (EII) - The need for friendship

When a child develops outside of school, they must have a hobby — it’s absolutely essential. It helps them form their own circle of people. I didn’t have friends at school, but I would definitely have had them in dance classes or in some sports club. I wouldn’t have been lonely, wouldn’t have withdrawn into myself, wouldn’t have felt inadequate. And perhaps a childhood hobby might one day become a life profession, the child’s main activity — who knows?

Since childhood I have felt this sense of inadequacy. I gave up hobbies in favor of studying.