Teens can be outspoken and confident about expressing their opinions. That can be great, but it’s not always great. There is a difference between expressing yourself and being rude and insensitive. Like it or not, rude and insensitive behavior is portrayed all the time in popular television shows. And because these people are always portrayed as getting what they want, teens can get the idea that rude behavior gets them what they want.
The real world doesn’t work that way. Rude behavior gets you a lot less friends and a lot poorer quality of relationships. Good relationships, good friendships, and just about anything are rooted in showing respect. When someone is blatantly rude, loud and controversial, showing his or her counter-opinions down everyone’s throat, the first thing I think isn’t Wow! What a confident person. Instead, I usually think, Wow! There are probably a lot of things going wrong in your life since you feel the need to act like this.
Don’t be rude. Mature, enjoyable people build others up; they don’t tear them down. That’s a good, basic building block for healthy communication so that you don’t have miserable relationships. In case you wondered.
Excerpted from The Truth About Dating, Love & Just Being Friends. 2011 by Chad Eastham. Thomas Nelson, Inc. pg. 43. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
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