O Lonesome Them!

The consternation facing teens from lack of communication with their fellow teens...is there a solution that is feasible and how can a parent initiate it!

There is one thing about me that no-one seems to understand..and that is why I love solitude on a daily basis..I have to have time to be alone with no obtrusions...no noise...nothing to distract me from what is going on in my head as it relates to situations, people in my life who are bugging me..or even people in my life who I love them being there...just not all the time!

First of all...being alone is not a bad thing...I never could understand people who think they need someone around all the time to reinforse them..to acknowledge them...to hang out..to have comeraderie with.  My question to all of you groupies is this..Why can't you just hang tight with your one and only best friend...YOU!  I am not being facitious here...I am just trying to convince someone, anyone, that being alone with yourself isn't all that bad or the end of the world!

In the case of your average teen...that is not an option!  A day without contact with a friend via the phone, MySpace...or in person  is a catastrophic occurence that cannot be justified, no matter how hard you try!

In case you are wondering why I think the way I do...spend some time with a teen of either gender for a day or so and you will find out..most cannot exist (or at least, think they can't) without some humanly contact with a human of their basic age range..(granted..it cannot be another family member) of the same or opposite sex for a period not to exceed two or three hours.  After no contact with that other teen..irritability sets in and then all persons other than the desired contact suffer from the trauma produced from said isolation from their desired friends.   I know from experience all about this..cause I co-habitate with a teenager.

They will strategically try to induce contact with the friend by annoying the parent in charge at the time...there is no end to their tricks they will perform to convince whoever is in charge to let them have their way.   Usually they will be satisfied with either phone contact or MySpace..but some will persist until they are allowed to go join the friend in person...that is the epitome of their strategy and some will do things to get on your nerves to the point you can't take it any longer..so you just send them packing just for the peace of mind and to maintain sanity!

You must hone your coping skills when teenagers pull out their bag of tricks to get what they want..there is no end to their conniving and conspiracy to maintain contact with friends..some have over a hundred on MySpace and maybe only half that many that they actually know in person.  Isn't that amazing!  Just when you think you know everyone in your teens life ....you check their MySpace and find they have three times more friends than you do and keep adding more!

I wish I could offer some sound advice on what to do with your friend loving teen...but in all due respect ..I have not figured that quandry out myself and am wishing that some wise individual would clue me in on how to keep a teen happy without him or her being in constant contact with all their friends!  Can they maintain their sense of well-being and be remotely content without a cell-phone, computer or a boyfriend or girlfriend for an length of time.....or will they malfunction and disconbobble from aloneness?