I am beginning to see a disturbing trend in my teens, something that will require diligent effort to change. It is silence. Now you might think that is actually a good thing but it really isn’t…I will explain why.
The silence I am talking about is the silence of relationships. Gone are the days of talking on the telephone for hours on end. Friendships have now become more “technologically advanced.” Actually, I think technology hasn’t advanced relationships; it has diminished them in many ways.
Let me give you some examples. Take my 12-year-old son whose best friend lives close by. They used to ride bikes to each other’s houses and go to the park. Now they play a virtual game online. His best friend sits in his house playing and my son sits in our house playing and this is how they interact.
Or take my 14-year-old daughter. I am often giving her and her friends rides to different places. You would expect to hear girl chatter but no, I hear silence. That’s because she always has her headphones on, listening to her iPod. She doesn’t even talk to her friends while we are driving.
Then there is my 17-year-old son who just last week was texting with a friend. She had already gone to register for school and received her schedule. She wanted to know what my son’s schedule was as soon as we were done registering, so they could see if they had any classes together.
We were driving and he said, “It’s too much to text her. She wants me to text the entire year.” I said, “Then why don’t you call her?” He shook his head, “Nah.” I looked at him dumbfounded.
I am almost embarrassed to admit that my teens have gotten to this level. But it is a trend hitting many. Teens (and adults are becoming no different) are so stuck on their devices that they have neglected to nurture relationships the old-fashioned way, by talking.
So this mom is going to be coming up with some strategies to change things. I want to see an end to the silence of relationships.
Related Articles:
Teaching Teens about Friendships
Advantages to Having Your Teen’s Friends Over
Photo by Funkdooby in Flickr