Category Archives: Teens

Staying Connected

Staying Connected
Calling grandmother

Calling my grandmother

When I was a child, every Sunday we talked to my grandparents who lived hundreds of miles away and we were only able to see once every year or so.  I do not remember if we called them or they called us but it was an event in our household.  I remember having to recall what I had done or accomplished to share with them each week and it was good to actually have this time to reflect on my week and plan how to tell them of the important activities in my life.  This week I have texted my 14 year old granddaughter and received instant info (as needed), spoken with my 10 year old grandson which was sweet and simple and Skyped with my 2 year old granddaughter who is hundreds of miles away!

What communication is lost and gained with the technology available?

Lost:

Gained:

Excitement and Uniqueness Instant and Frequent
Reflection and Preparation Spontaneous and Unrehearsed
Spoken is Interpreted Once Texted is Interpreted Forever
Maturation of conversation Auto correct

Here are some of the  facts I have learned about our communication changes:

Teen granddaughter

Talking to Teens

Children and Phones

Children and Phones

Fully 72% of all teens — or 88% of teen cell phone users — send text messages, up from 51% of in 2006 and about 0% since 1996.

Have you ever been at a party and felt an awkward moment, so pulled out your cell phone and pretended to text, check an email, or chat?

You are not alone. A recent found that 13 percent of Americans admit to using their cell phones to prevent unwanted social interactions.

Hmm. Perhaps that’s why everyone’s always “texting” in the elevator.  Does it mean our children will be awkward more or just deal with it different?

One of the most dramatic increases in the use of cell phones was from 10 to 11 year old range with over 80.5% owning a handset. The study goes on to discover that boys are gaining in number to have a phone over girls – it has increased . As more wireless providers are offering services that are aimed at kids, such as the use of GPS tracking, there will continue to be a boom in the usage of mobile phones among children.

My Baby

  THERE ARE 300 MILLION VIDEO CALLS A DAY ON SKYPE –

YIKES!

How are you connecting with your grandchildren?  Is it too much?  Would you go back to the once a week updates?  Not me – but I sure would love to hear the sweet sound of   my grandmother’s soft giggle or my granddad’s knowing nod as I told of the important events of my week!  Even Skype cannot bring that back.

Looking Creepy

Looking Creepy

Friends of mine, Sandy and Bob, made a trip to Denver recently to see their 13-year old granddaughter perform in a school play.  After one performance of the play, there was a reception of sorts in the gym with hundreds of people present.  Not knowing anybody other than their immediate family and not wanting to get in the way of the activities, Bob and Sandy found a spot to stand in the far corner of the room and just watched the action.  Later that evening after they were  home, their granddaughter commented to them:  “The next time you are at my school, please don’t just stand there looking creepy.”

Sandy has no idea what she did to look “creepy”, and certainly has no idea how to look and be different next time so as to be more acceptable to her granddaughter.

Any ideas?