I have to confess–I’m a techno geek. I love the latest gadgets, apps and social media sites. I enjoy updating my own websites and making them interactive for others.
I love messing around with my site to the point that, years ago, I asked my site’s webmaster to upload updates so many times he finally showed me how to make the changes myself. Big mistake. I quickly taught myself how to build my own websites, make my own updates, and, eventually, he lost a customer.
I spent so much time building my online community that I sometimes ignored my real-life community around me.
READ MORE: HOW TO PROTECT YOUR TEEN’S ONLINE IDENTITY
It’s a problem when today’s technology interrupts real-life relationships. Just the other day, my husband and I were dining at one of our favorite restaurants and we noticed a family of four sitting a few tables away from us.
The father, mother, and two teenagers were all looking at their cell phones. They were texting, scrolling and smiling at what they were reading. None of them were talking to each other. It continued throughout their meal. I couldn’t help but wonder what detriment this connection to technology, instead of each other, was having on their relationships.
How are you staying connected to your family? Does your teen daughter text others more than she talks to them? Does the bulk of your communication with your daughter occur via text?
Here are a few suggestions to reconnect with your teens:
1) Keep your cell phones in the car when eating at a restaurant. This will give you the opportunity to talk to your teens face-to-face and spend quality time together.
2) Set a no-cell phone, tablet or laptop family time. Everything powers down for a limited time each evening to reconnect with your teens. Watch a movie together. Play cards or discuss their day or upcoming events. It may be awkward at first, but they want your attention. They may not act like it, but they do.
3) Be your teen daughter’s role model. How do you treat your friends? How do you talk with them? Do you text or talk with them face-to-face? By showing her that you spend quality time with those you care about, you will teach the importance of real-life relationships.
As water reflects the face, so one’s life reflects the heart. (Proverbs 27:19)
