Does this count as communicating w/ your children?

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chanstriste13
chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
in Chit-Chat
One of my cyber-acquaintances just posted this on facebook:

"Yes , I know face to face talking to my kids ( teenagers ) is the best, but I bet through textin, games we are playing through phone , FB , FaceTime and Hey Tell we are not doing too bad ! Communicating is communicating !"

Just curious about your thoughts.
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Replies

  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    Sad... that the most communication she can hope to have with her child (presuming that they live in the same household) is by electronic means. :cry:
  • carolann_22
    carolann_22 Posts: 364 Member
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    I think it does, sure - especially as they are teenagers and probably aren't home that much. I mean, if they have school, practice, and an after school job or tutoring or whatever, they may not HAVE face to face time with them from 6:30 AM to 8PM. More face to face communication should be the goal, but I do think the other stuff counts.
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    Yes, it counts as communication. She seems to recognize that face to face is best, but is also open to the means of communication that teens use, also. I do a great deal of communicating with my kids via texting, gmail chatting, FB chatting and emails.
  • ffuunnnnyy__ggiirrll
    ffuunnnnyy__ggiirrll Posts: 431
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    One of my cyber-acquaintances just posted this on facebook:

    "Yes , I know face to face talking to my kids ( teenagers ) is the best, but I bet through textin, games we are playing through phone , FB , FaceTime and Hey Tell we are not doing too bad ! Communicating is communicating !"

    Just curious about your thoughts.

    She does say that she knows face to face is best but I do agree that any type of communication is better than none. Sometimes with our crazy schedules, I barely see my 19 and 20 year olds, so if all I get to do is text them or send them an email, then I am good with that. It's like anything else, there needs to be balance.
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,229 Member
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    One of my cyber-acquaintances just posted this on facebook:

    "Yes , I know face to face talking to my kids ( teenagers ) is the best, but I bet through textin, games we are playing through phone , FB , FaceTime and Hey Tell we are not doing too bad ! Communicating is communicating !"

    Just curious about your thoughts.

    She does say that she knows face to face is best but I do agree that any type of communication is better than none. Sometimes with our crazy schedules, I barely see my 19 and 20 year olds, so if all I get to do is text them or send them an email, then I am good with that. It's like anything else, there needs to be balance.

    I guess it just depends on your perspective. My oldest is only 12 so I still get hugs and kisses a lot (when no one is looking of course). I guess I just haven't seen her realize her full independence yet so I can't truly relate.
  • JennaM222
    JennaM222 Posts: 1,996 Member
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    umm most teenagers do not want to have ANY communication with their parents so I say this is a win :)
  • Nopedotjpeg
    Nopedotjpeg Posts: 1,806 Member
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    They're teenagers. They don't want to deal with their parents. Why is that "sad?" That's pretty normal. The fact that she's using digital mediums that she knows they like to use is pretty clever on her part.
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    what if their primary form of communication is texting while they are all at home? (this was my cooperating teacher while i was getting my licensure, so i'm not close to her, but she told me a *lot* about her personal life while i was working with her - generally a little more than i wanted to know.)
  • HauteP1nk
    HauteP1nk Posts: 2,139 Member
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    She is rolling with the times... Her kids are linked into all these technologies and she is doing the best that she can...
    Teenagers never communicate with their parents, and her willingness to stay current with all the technologies to see what her kids are up to and connect with them is a good sign.
  • madyncaden
    madyncaden Posts: 312 Member
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    nope!! communication is not just sharing information. it is learning how to interact with other, learn social cues, learn manners etc. as a teacher it is sad to see the results of this mentality that communicating thru a phone or other sources with your own flesh n blood is ok........i get that this is a form of communication and it is good to communicate this way as well but it will NEVER be the same as face to face and as i said before it is just sd that this is where our society has gone!
  • moriaht
    moriaht Posts: 251 Member
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    Yes! I am away at university and the only contact I get with my mom is texts, facebook, and occasional phone calls! Same with my dad who lives in another country. Just because it's not face to face doesn't make it not communicating... It's a new way of doing things and I don't see the problem with it. Of course face to face is the best and I spend as much time as I can with my parents, but as I said, it's very limited.
  • madyncaden
    madyncaden Posts: 312 Member
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    umm most teenagers do not want to have ANY communication with their parents so I say this is a win :)

    just beacuse they dont want it doesnt mean they dont need it. parents need to be parents and find ways to engage their children no matter what age they are. it's called parenting!!
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    Yes! I am away at university and the only contact I get with my mom is texts, facebook, and occasional phone calls! Same with my dad who lives in another country. Just because it's not face to face doesn't make it not communicating... It's a new way of doing things and I don't see the problem with it. Of course face to face is the best and I spend as much time as I can with my parents, but as I said, it's very limited.

    your situation is different from the one she is in - they are all under the same roof.
  • Mi2sc
    Mi2sc Posts: 29
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    I love that she is trying to communicate with her kids through the things they are interested in!
    My job is working with technology and teaching teachers how to use it for students, who love to use it!:glasses:
  • premiumchilenita
    premiumchilenita Posts: 600 Member
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    teenagers are weird these days, my little sis-in-law can talk to her friend on FB for hours but she won't pick up the phone to call her, she says she doesn't know what to say.

    I guess something is better than nothing and these days you find out everything through FB and things like that

    BUT

    Face to face is the most important. Otherwise you are just avoiding each other. And there is really no REAL connection. You do end up losing them at the end.

    My other sis-in-law can get really cheeky on FB but can't say it face to face. What the??????:huh:
  • delilah47
    delilah47 Posts: 1,658
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    she is teaching her children that face to face isn't that important. we'll see how she feels when the kids are grown and never come to see her, but communicate electronically. she will feel different when that happens
  • Helenatrandom
    Helenatrandom Posts: 1,166 Member
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    I guess it depends on the teenager. Is the teenager open to face to face time with mom discussing important things, or is he or she more likely to mention a problem while playing words with friends? I once heard a child psychologist on the radio suggest talking about serious things in the car when the teenager is NOT looking at you because it makes them less self conscious. Maybe that is what this parent is doing, but digitally.
  • Dragonwolf
    Dragonwolf Posts: 5,600 Member
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    umm most teenagers do not want to have ANY communication with their parents so I say this is a win :)

    This!

    Some communicating, by any means, is better than no communication at all.

    I'd also venture to guess that FB can tell her a lot more about what her kids are doing than what they would tell her to her face.
  • chanstriste13
    chanstriste13 Posts: 3,277 Member
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    teenagers are weird these days, my little sis-in-law can talk to her friend on FB for hours but she won't pick up the phone to call her, she says she doesn't know what to say.

    I guess something is better than nothing and these days you find out everything through FB and things like that

    BUT

    Face to face is the most important. Otherwise you are just avoiding each other. And there is really no REAL connection. You do end up losing them at the end.

    My other sis-in-law can get really cheeky on FB but can't say it face to face. What the??????:huh:

    i see this a lot, too.
  • twinsanity
    twinsanity Posts: 1,847 Member
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    Not only does it count, but I think it shows how plugged in she is with her kids. Think back to when you were teenagers, how often did you actually sit down every day and talk to your parents? And with technology these days, teens are more apt to be using the phone/texting/IMing and the likes to communicate with everyone, not just their parents. The fact that she's not just sending a a text here and there to say, but is engaged in games with her teen, to me says that she's plugged in and probably has an open relationship with her kid(s)....making her kid(s) more likely to put in the face time when something big comes up.

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