What Your Kids' Selfies Really Mean & Why You Should Pay Attention
Today's kids have a new way of describing their world.
MDV Edwards / Shutterstock As adults, many of us love taking selfies: on vacation, eating out, walking the dog, capturing an unexpected event. And for some of us, the selfie has become an easy visual way for us to keep the running diary of our lives.
This may be even more true for our kids.
In today’s world, many kids are not only taking selfies but are also using selfie technology as a way to speak up.
How do they do this? By using their phones to speak the truth of the moment as they see it.
And when they "speak," they record more than their voices. They record themselves in their bedrooms, dens, outside — wherever life has taken them.
These words, whether they be actual words or visual expressions, are often very much from the heart. Sometimes they stay on someone's phone or get deleted for something else.
Our thoughts and feelings — in the form of selfies and self-recordings — flow easily out into the universe. Who knows where they might end up.
The Girl in "The Truth, A Short Film," keeps her diary and speaks out into her video camera or her phone.
Maybe one of the most important messages she is really sharing with the public is how intense the feelings, emotions and concerns are to kids as they move from childhood to adulthood.
Older folks forget a lot of the teen angst.
We are way past our first crush, our early rages toward our parents, our fears about changing schools, or our pain at a best friend no longer being one.
But there are tons of kids out there just beginning to experience all of the above and, at times, much more.
My hope is that the "Girl" in the film (and in the book "The Truth") is a beacon that helps kids feel stronger and more courageous as they undertake all the universal steps of growing up.
And I hope she will remind adults and all concerned with our kids, that it does take a village to support, nourish and encourage a kid.
We all have a role to play. If you're a parent, listen and advise with intelligence and sensitivity.
To all the other players in a child’s life, play by the golden rule.
Treat any kid who crosses your path with the kindness, respect and helpfulness that hopefully you got growing up or that you wanted when you were growing up.
Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, internationally known psychologist, author, playwright and filmmaker, is the creator of The Enchanted Self ®, a positive psychology method for happiness. Visit her website for more information about her work.