Every generation has their own identity. Other generations whether younger or older will say that their generation is the best. That is fair. Nostalgia has a way of putting on rose colored glasses. We tend to think of the very best moments and forget the things that could have been better. There has been a trend for some years now that has been going on no matter their age. It is the lack of social skills. Let me correct that, it is the lack of verbal social skills and accountability.
We tend to hide behind emails and texts. More and more relationships are becoming colder because we don’t actually call someone. We send a text or an email. Sometimes there is that occasional voice memo, but to me that is just like a text. One question that I have been thinking about a lot these days is, are we teaching our kids the right social skills?
What Type Of Social Skills Are You Teaching Your Kids?
From time to time my family and I talk about relationships or the way people communicate these days. Each of us have encountered people who go silent or ghost us. It can be in our personal life or professional life. I try to remind my kids and myself that we should not do the same to others. We have to face all the different conversations, even the tougher ones. It is okay to get nervous wondering what the other person might say or do. Still, you should be open and honest with people. If you just send a text or an email, things could get lost in translation. People might take something out of context. That is why having an actual conversation is something parents should teach their kids.
One of the things that I have noticed running my own business is how people tend to cower behind technology. For example, it can be a read message on LinkedIn with no response. You can see that they have read the message, but they do not respond. I have told my daughters about this issue. It is frustrating that people don’t take the time to write a response. I would rather people tell me a yes or a no instead of just being in a sort of limbo and guessing if they will ever respond. Therefore the further we get down the technological rabbit hole, the more likely our kids and future generations might lose the art of conversation.
Let’s Get Social Without Apps Or Tech!
Teach your kids to reach out and talk to their friends. Even if the conversation might cause some tension. Part of growing up is learning how to have honest conversations. It is how we grow as a society. In addition, we should treat each other with respect while having those tough talks. Texts and apps can be used for the mundane conversations of where do you want to meet up or what movie are we going to see tonight. Technology is not a bad thing as long as we remember to have those face to face conversations. We need to make sure we are teaching our kids how to communicate properly. It will help them gain the social skills to live a healthy and happy life.