Teen Talk - Text & Chat

Having teenagers is fun....most of the time.  If you're a parent of a teen or have been in the past, you know exactly what I mean!

The difference in teens today, compared to teens in the past, is the way they communicate.  Today's means of communication is instant, as well as constant, but communication is not always verbal.  In fact, if we're not careful, communication with our teens will never be verbal.  It will be by text and chat, but never face to face.  While this new way of communication is beneficial in many ways, we must make sure we have the face to face contact that we should be having with our teens.  It's not that they will want it or think they need it, but it's that for our relationships to be what they should be in Christian families (and ALL families), we have to have that face to face contact.  It's up to us - the parents, grandparents, and adults in general - to keep that face to face contact in check.

Now, occassionally, I myself like the quick text/chat communication with my family.  The other night I was posting pictures on the computer for my daughter and I needed to ask her a question.  She was in the living room with her brothers.  My husband was asleep and my computer is in our room, so I didn't want to disturb him by yelling for her (Yes, in our house we yell for each other.)  I was lazy (yep, I was) and didn't "go" to the living room to ask her a question, but instead I sent her a chat message on Facebook.  She answered my question and we chatted back and forth a little bit about the pictures I was posting, but then she wrote this to me:  "Mom, get off.  This is too weird."  What?  Chatting with your mom on Facebook is weird?????  Why would that be weird????  Because mom is "with it and cool"???  I won't ask that question.  I might not like the answer!

Yes, communication between people has changed dramatically over the years - some for the good and some for the bad.  But not all communication has changed. Communication between us and our Heavenly Father is still the same.  We still have the same way to communicate with God as we've always had.  In fact, we have the same way to communicate with God as all living beings have ever had (with a few exceptions in the Bible who spoke with God in unique ways.)  Prayer is our communication with God and He listens to us whenever we speak to Him.  He is there and always will be.  We can't text God.  We can't chat with him in the same way we can with an individual over the computer.  We can "chat" with him in prayer all day long, though....and should.

Thank you, God, for the communication we can have with You!

Note:  Our high school has an essay contest in May.  One of the winning essays had to do with communication.  If you are interested in reading Kerry's 1st place essay, click here: Victory Herald.