Love Takes a Hit on Facebook

By the time Liane Kiar went on a first date last year, she knew everything about her prospective new boyfriend, from his favourite TV shows and hobbies to where he vacations and details of his past love life. She didn’t ask him. She didn’t need to. Like millions of others worldwide, the 27-year-old Orleans woman stumbled across the information on Facebook, the social media platform some experts say is causing a visible shift in how much more publicly we conduct our private relationships. Splitting with your boyfriend? Just change your relationship status to say so, as South African socialite Chelsy Davy did recently when she privately dumped Prince Harry then publicly broadcast it on her Facebook profile. Looking for someone new? You can display that too, along with the kind of liaison you’re into. After all, it’s nothing you wouldn’t tell your closest personal friends. But what about your 500 Facebook pals?

Posted in Internet on 02/09/2009 - 0 Comments

The Pain of Parenting

“I hate you and I’m never going to speak to you again!” You might hear those words once—if not several times—from your teen before she hits adulthood. But what happens when she really means them? According to US parenting expert Dr Joshua Coleman, you’re not alone. “I get a letter a day from parents whose adult children literally abandon them, cut off ties permanently or temporarily, or are in their lives but are so critical and harsh, they’re hurtful to be around,” he says. “In Western culture, it’s more common than uncommon for teens to be rude to their parents—and it’s becoming more common for them to grow into adults who want nothing to do with their parents.”

Posted in Parenting on 11/20/2008 - 0 Comments

Helping Kids Grow Up

The most popular girl in school sweetly offers a classmate a harmless little compliment—“Cute skirt, where did you get it? It’s so adorable”. Nice kid, right? Maybe not. In today’s clannish world of teens, it’s more likely to be a stab in the back. It could be snidely settling a score, taking down the opposition or ensuring social status within a teenaged tribe. Whatever the reason, it may be anything but nice.

Posted in Family on 11/20/2008 - 0 Comments