A Status Update Just Isn't the Same

     I think most people already know this, but I'll feel much better if I just put it out there...Facebook status updates are not the same thing as personally talking with someone!

     Okay, I feel better. Surely I'm not the only one who has found herself in the middle of a conversation where the other person assumes I know what she is talking about. He or she assumes this because the person posted a status update sometime last Thursday and didn't I see it? Um, maybe or maybe not.

     I can't help but think of how all of the technology in our world changes the way we have to teach (and model) social skills to our children. After all, they need to know that while things like texting aren't bad, they also aren't exactly the same as visiting a person or picking up the phone and making a call to check on someone.

     Please don't misunderstand me. I'm a big fan of things like Facebook. However, I do wonder what communication will look like once my children are adults. Will I ever hear their voices or will phone calls home be obsolete. Of course, I'll do my best to teach them social skills, but I must admit that it sometimes seems the odds are against me. If you've ever been out to dinner with someone who keeps pulling out her phone to text someone, then you know what I mean.

     What do you think? Do you believe various communication options make it more difficult to teach kids social skills?