Teen Relationships: What has changed?

Today’s teenagers are unpredictable! They neither know the worth of a relation nor do they bother to keep them.

Do you share the same thoughts? There is nothing wrong with your teenager. It’s just that they are moving with the speed, the world is changing. Got it? Okay, let me explain. Compare the teen years you experienced with the years your teen is living. See the difference? Here it is:

Process of Making Friends

Remember how you used to make friends in your teenage? It used to take some time, you were observing the other person first; you had to walk a few steps to go to the other person to introduce yourself and invite them for friendship. You had to care about their mood swings, their likes, dislikes, priorities, etc., but for virtual friends, the whole effort is about a single click. Teens click the “send friend request” button first and then see the profile later.

Way of Interactions

You in your teenage had the real interaction. You had to travel to your friend’s door to have a friendly chat with them, to play games together, but this is not the case now. Your teens can play games with their virtual friends online; they stay connected 24/7 without commuting. Smartphones in this wired world have helped teens do that, in fact, these devices have changed the meaning of friends gathering on the whole.

Method of Keeping Events

In your teen years, people used to keep a diary to remember all important events including the birthdays of friends and family, anniversaries, a romantic date, some special dinner or lunch and what not. They used to see your calendar every day waiting and planning for the event. This wait was something making the bond stronger and the same wait is almost unavailable in the lives of teenagers today. They receive electronic invitations and get push notifications as reminders of the events that automatically pop up on the screen. This saves them from the hassle of memorizing the events and there happens no preparation most of the times.

Style of Greetings

You used to post greeting card to your family members and friends with a handwritten message over it. But your teen has the convenience to update a status on Facebook or to tweet their message and all is done. The exchange already composed messages and cards; hence they neither make the effort nor they feel the charm of making the right selection of message for every relation.

Ability to Judge Expressions

Today’s teens are unable to judge the expressions in real life. They have become used to the emoticons and emoji prevailed in their very own world. They don’t easily understand your anger or the happiness until you put a big smile on your face or turn crimson.

The option to End Relation

Recall! How many times you had to think before ending the relation? Probably 100 times. You used to talk about it with the person involved before making the decision. There was room for negotiation, arguments, etc. and now teens think about it and click the Unfriend button. This brings their relation to an end.

Every relation demand for care, concern and some priority; what teens of this age are unable to provide because of the robotic and digital culture they are living in. Another major factor is the digital exposure, excessive use of technology and nonetheless no supervision and training.

You as a parent need to take control over the situation to raise your teen as a good human being!