Hey, I'm looking for how family friendly Golden Retrievers are, can you help me?
Yes!  They aqre well suited to live in all kinds of areas...out on farms or in regular suburban homes.
I have 2 small children and a kitten in the house, do you believe a golden retriever is the perfect dog for this situation?
Well, they are very easy to train, even up to advanced obedience standards, so I think they could be trained to tolerate all kinds of people and animals.
That is quite comforting to hear! This will be my first time being a dog owner. Is there a lot of upkeep as far as shedding, exercise, etc?  
They do shed, since they are a long coated breed. 
So I will need to buy brushes and shedding supplies. Would you suggest, as a first time dog owner, a Puppy or Adult Golden Retriever?
They are bred to be obedient, so they can do things lijke retrieve shot ducks and the like.  So naturally, I think they would make good pets, puppy or not.  Might be good to have the puppy raised with the children.