OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS— SOCIALIZING WITH OLDER FRIENDS

One of the challenges younger folks face, has been how to navigate the hurdle of relating with the older ones. There is usually no hard and fast rule.

In our Nigerian setting, a lot of things are respect markers for us. I was 17 or thereabout when I began the war against being called ‘Aunty’ and after these years, I’m tired. When I tell a much younger person or a child to address me as Chisom, I often get that reaction that questions my own childhood upbringing. But we won’t discuss respect markers today, another post maybe ????

Let’s look at respectable ways of relating with older acquaintances .

Calls: Let your calls be purposeful. Don’t just pick up your phone out of boredom and tap on their numbers.

If you’re bored, sing????

Have a specific reason: to book an appointment, to present a situation report, or even to check up on them. Have it readily planned out so that at the beep, your call has a direction; most especially, if you’re dealing with a busy professional.
Another tip: Don’t bombard their phones with calls. I like to think that three missed calls are sane enough. I personal go with two or one in some cases. Send a message after the missed calls if it’s of utmost importance; they may be in a meeting where calls would be impossible.

Chats: Like calls, this should also have a direction. It would be timesaving and nice if you send a message like: “Hello ma, good morning. I trust you’re good. I just want to confirm our meeting for 12pm today. Thank you.” instead of simply sending “Hi” and then waiting for them to respond. If they will

Itchy fingers, play a game!

Go straight to the point; they are not your pen pals.
Another tip: Write out your texts in full. You may enjoy text-speaks with friends but your message looks better and more organized, when you express your words in full.

Face to Face meetings: If you’ve fixed a time, try and keep to it. If anyone is to be late, let it be them. Not only does it save you face, it shows you value their commitment. Dress suitably too.

Be gracious in your dealings… offering a hand to carry their office bags—where there’s any— won’t hurt.

I agree that this list is not exhaustive. Personally, I make some calls with tongue-in-cheek; yeah, I love sarcasm but my supervisor and lecturers may not appreciate. The safe option is usually to put on a straight jacket.

If you’ve got any tip that works for you, will you please share?

And finally, my love for you didn’t diminish in the past week; we’re still cool.????
Remember: you’re light, shine!

Until next week, be safe????