Girls Calling Boys

When Boy-crazy Teens Drive You Crazy

By Laura Paul

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So why aren't boys thrilled with the attention? First, she explains, boys are not as mature as girls their same age. Second, many boys are not ready for relationships of an emotional nature. "Even if boys are a little older, girls are still much more mature," Carle says. "A lot of them aren't ready for sex, and they are being thrown into that very often by the girls."

While Blaney doesn't raise an eyebrow when her teenagers talk on the phone with the opposite gender, she does have stricter rules about whom her daughter can talk to on the Internet. Blaney feels it is essential to let teens know they should not be talking to anyone they don't know online. Instant messaging and e-mails have replaced phone conversations for most teens.

"[My daughter] spends more time online [instant messaging]," Blaney says. "I've asked her about that, and she tells me [instant messaging] allows her to be in touch with a whole lot more people than a telephone conversation."

Blaney points out that another positive of instant messaging is that it allows for the continuation of relationships without geographical boundaries. For instance, her daughter went away to a field hockey tournament in California where she made friends from a wider region. "... She will keep in touch with them on the Internet, and that's a very comfortable way of doing it," Blaney says.