Love Is In the Air

by Tom Hinton

As St. Valentine’s Day approaches, I thought I’d share with you an interesting practice that is being used by my high school -age daughter, Becca, and her one thousand most intimate friends. They conclude every telephone call with this heartfelt phrase, “Love you! Bye.”

Becca and her friends have been using this valediction since they were in sixth grade. I’m not sure who started it but it seems to have caught on. Now, it seems like all the teen-agers -- boys and girls alike -- are using this expression when ending telephone calls with their friends. I even hear them saying “Love ya! Bye.” when talking to their parents. How refreshing!

Mind you, I haven’t sat down with Becca and asked her, “Hey, where did this phrase, “Love ya! Bye.” come from and who started it?” I know better. You see, I’m certain she would just look at me with that deer-in-the-headlights teen-age gaze and reply, “That’s the gayest (most stupid) question you’ve ever asked me, Dad!” Then she’d shrug her shoulders, toss her hair, and walk away disgusted once again with her father. Oh well, there are some things parents must figure out for themselves.

So, for all you parents out there, here’s my analytical interpretation of what’s really being communicated when our wonderful, little darlings are on their cell phones. According to my phone bill, my daughter (and I’m sure this applies to your sons and daughters as well) makes about 422 calls every school night between 3pm and 10 pm. I don’t know how this is mathematically possible, but I believe the number is fairly accurate. Most of these calls are short because they never seem to last more than a few seconds. Some of the calls are intense because they deal with “boy” issues. I know because I can barely hear what’s being said even with her bedroom door closed.

But, regardless of how all these conversations flow, they always hang-up as friends. You see, friendships are re-affirmed or all is forgiven at the end of the call with the simple phrase, “Love ya! Bye.” This way, all the kids get a good night’s sleep (if you count five hours as a good night’s rest) and arrive at school the next morning tired, but still friends. I think that explains it all.

Well, maybe not. Perhaps, there’s a deeper, more serious explanation. Perhaps this younger generation desperately needs friendship and love in their lives. You see, their parents have been poor role models in these categories with our high divorce rates, our penchant for war, guns, and violence; and, basically screwing-up the environment and the world we live in. Now that I think about it, maybe our kids are trying to tell us something… love is all you need.

About the Author. Tom Hinton is a popular speaker at corporate and association meetings. He is also the author of four books including 10,000 Days: The Secret to Finding Purpose, Peace, and Passion in Your Life. For information please email him at tom@tomhinton.com