Teenagers Resist Talking on the Phone, But There’s Hope! Try This! Teens Parenting

Apparently, the more teens text, tweet and Snapchat, the less they feel capable of living in the moment (read: scary!). It seems that typical teenage self-awareness makes scripting a message feel safer than reading and responding to the nuances of spoken language. The good news: we can teach our kids the communication skills that phone calls with adults require. Here are some tactics to try if your teen fits the typical text/tweet/Snapchat profile: 

• Start small. Help your child make a doctor’s appointment by providing a script of what to say, preferably via text message, that can be read as the call is on speaker mode. 
• Remind your child that speaking to adults on the phone may be easier than doing it face to face. 
• Explain that on the spectrum of “communication vulnerability,” face-to-face is on one end while digital communication is on the other. Phone calls are safely somewhere in the middle. 
• Suggest that it’s like taking medicine; the sooner they do it, the sooner it’s done.
• Remind your child that a phone call yields information faster than a text sometimes. Next time you get the text requesting permission for something, hold off responding. Case in point.

Do your kids text or call when they need something?