As humans, our relationships with people make up an large piece of the puzzle about who we are, how others see us, and what kind of person we want to be. In a way, humans are like computers, programmed to form close connections with people so we can grow, learn from each other, find comfort and confide in one another, therefore leading us to live more meaningful lives. The media portrays the teenage years as the time period of learning how to handle the different relationships in our life. A teen’s relationships with their parents, their friends and even their dating relationships tend to change significantly during the teenage years.
One of the most complicated relationships a teenager can face is the relationship they have with their parents.…show more content… In Miss Smithers, the main character Alice gets into a relationship with a boy named Goose. Alice describes him in such an affectionate way, but finds doubt in what they are: “I just don’t know how serious Goose and I are as a romantic unit. It’s hard to keep the flame alive long distance.”(Juby 12). Throughout the book, the author Susan Juby shows the many obstacles their relationship faces when Goose publishes her ‘zine and she doesn’t apologize. However, they make amends and she “remembers all over again” why she liked him so much, therefore proving that at the end of the novel, their relationship is very steady. (Juby 248). Even as they face the difficulty of the four-hour distance between them, Goose makes the effort to show up at the Sweetheart Ball. When he shows up, the author implies how much their relationship has grown, from, when she wasn’t sure of what they were to how proud she is to be with him now: “He saw me right away and for some reason, I felt like crying. Love is so dumb. [...] We danced and danced and I felt proud to be with Goose.” (Juby 272). As this is the 16-year old’s first love, like many other teens who go through this experience, she’s learned a lot from the events that have occurred and knows how to maintain a healthy intimate…show more content… Many teenagers spend a lot of time on social media, but because of networks like Facebook, sometimes their friendships can be put at stake. There’s secret competition between people, even their so-called friends, to be tagged in pictures or have the most likes. In the article Is Facebook Fake-Book?, a university student named Kristen claims, “There’s real competition to have the most friends” indicating that even with two or more close best friends, people tend to lose sight of who matters and that follows aren’t even that important. A Facebook feed can become more interesting when more “friends” are added, but it’s hard when a teen is following almost everyone they’ve heard of or know through somebody, even when they haven’t met, just for the number. As one user even states, social media networks “take the mystery out of life.” With long distance friendships, you want to be able to have a conversation rather than see it on a Facebook post or a tweet, because it’s more interesting. 81% of all teenagers use at least one social network and statistics show that 54% of teens talk to their friends more on text, while only 33% talk face to face rather than using social media. Furthermore, those who use social networks have a higher risk to cyber bullying or miscommunication with their friends, therefore changing the typical teen’s perspective on their friendships
