Teens and SL Love

Do you feel that an online relationship, between a boy and a girl is a healthy thing for a young man or woman? When it obviously becomes more than a game and they become emotionaly attached to a pixel love, should a parent step in?

I was having this discussion with a friend last night and we both had different point of views. I feel it can really do no harm, as long as they don't lose touch with thier real life. I look at it more as pen pals who become very close. If the parents are doing thier job and making sure they use it as an insentive to do better with real life responsibilities, I think it could be a possitive.

My friend believe it is very unhealthy, her opinion is a teenager is too emotionaly unstable to handle such a thing and the complications that come with long distance love.

What morals should parents teach? If they have a RL relationship, and then someone else on SL, are we teaching them its ok to have multiple partners? As a parent this all confuses me.

Opinions?

Whatever you do, just don't expose them to Dinosaur Jr.

this is why I don't have kids.

aww but Joseph you then lose out on all the joys like .....ehhh .......uhhh .....ummm ......when they ...err nevermind not that.........uhhhh...hmmmm...

I'll get back to you.

I agree, you don't really get emotionally mature enough to handle long distance love well until you're, oh, 60 or 70 years old.

Actually, in all seriousness, I'm involved in a long distance relationship now. It's hard, but worthwhile. Would I have had the maturity or even the ability to handle it as a teen, I honestly don't think so.

Our life experiences are different, so maybe they do, whereas I wouldn't have.

So, what I'm saying, is it depends on the individual.

Peace,
Joseph

The answer to this question has been postponed until all facets and correct answers to real life relationships have been unquestionably determined.


I think it involves J Mascis, but I'm not 100% on that.

I had long distance relationships. Then I got a real girl and never looked back.

I think, Beau, that it's not such a bad thing. Either they'll eventually take notice of someone interesting that's going to their own schools and outgrow the phase, or they'll get really close and care about eachother a lot for a long time.

Doesn't seem terrible in either case.

And, hey, anything that's keeping disease and pregnancy out of the picture for any period of time means a few less worries, right?

Never had an issue getting a "real girl". I just find my relationship with this wonderful woman to be much more rewarding.

I had a long distance relationship, then met THAT real guy, we were together for nearly 8 years, had one beautiful daughter and great REAL moments together before deciding to call it a day. We are still very close to this day, who knows what the future holds.

Enabran you just spoke my exact point of view.

i'm glad i wasn't drinking anything when i read this post

its a teenage relationship. They are all doomed anyway. At least now when kid says "my girlfriends in canada, so you wouldn't know her," he might not be lying.

I can't remember where, but I read some place in a thread that the average adult SL relationship doesn't last more than a month. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if we "adults" are supposed to be more mature than the teens, then what might we expect the trend to be for teens?

Anyways, it's going to happen on the teen grid whether we think it's appropriate or not, so what the heck. what's the worst that can happen? - Bubbleboy, who has very few RL friends, finds out his SL GF is really a guy and he/she is cheating on him with another girl on the adjacent plot of land. Bubbleboy decides SL sucks almost as much as RL and decides to step out of his sterile environment into oblivion - ok, well maybe it won't be that bad, but my point is that it's going to happen in RL, SL, and in Teen SL, and there's nothing LL or anyone else can do about it.

wow. and to think, I was having a good day.

on one hand its all pretend oh im sorry wait a min this is suppose to be real life, so strike anything i was about to say.

let me say instead...my soon to be 18 y/o would rather date a real life girl who isn't a plastic money hungry whore who is trying to look like barbie

Cat

Long distance love isn't anything particularly damaging to a teen. I've done it as a teen. The only "damaging" it might do is when the realization sets in that because of money constraints and lack of maturity and self sufficiency they can't be together, if they aspire to do so. Honestly, either it will last until they can, or it will peter out like - lets face it - most relationships tend to do.

Either way, it's not the most horrible thing in the world. Of course, I'm not a parent, just a young woman thinking about being one.

As for it happening if said teen has someone in real life already, then yes, I think a sit down talk should be had. I know plenty of people are fine with virtual stuff on the side of the real thing, but these are predominantly adult couples who have very good communication. I don't think a teen should really be in such a confusing polyamorous situation. Hell, I'm pretty beyond my teens, and -I- still avoid that kinda thing because I don't want the hassle.

EDIT: And no, I don't think people fall in love with the virtual character. The virtual character is an extension of - and in oh so many ways the real deal. From my experience unless the person is very adept at posing as someone else, they won't be able to hide who they really are, and that's generally what people fall for, not the bunch of pixels.

Of course, that's all just my armchair psychology and pure opinion.

I avoid those as well.

Peace,
Joseph

I wonder where it said anything like that, or are you trying to tell us everyone who plays a girl on SL falls under this description? ... I don't like what you're implying, either way.

Emma, it's a proven fact that only 2 people really play SL, and each and every one of us is an alt of either one of those 2. Read the forums, it's all there!

Well I'm not anyone's alt, thus that means everyone else in SL is the same person. ... Damn can they multitask well.

Resistance Is Futile!!! You Will Be Assimilated!!!!!

What is the point of the smiley at the end of this post? Is that supposed to make it seem less caustic and judgemental?

Looking at the typical high school girls and young women I'm seeing that a focus on appearance and the quest for material things to be not all that unusual. Pretty typical of youth in any realm actually.

I won't comment on the whore part as I don't spend my time evaluating the sexual activities of others, it's just not my business.