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?