We R Breaking Up: Teaching Kids About Healthy Splits

Your son changing his Facebook status to "single" as a way of breaking the news to his girlfriend they're over might surprise you, but kids today might not have the best grasp on healthy breakups, a New York Times article explores.

With the emphasis on social media today, kids can turn to less and less personal ways of breaking up with boyfriends and girlfriends. Deleting pictures of themselves with a significant other, changing a status and unfriending the ex are all examples.

When faced with a split, kids might turn to their Facebook pages thinking it's healthy breakup behavior.

“When I’m done with a relationship, I’m not going to wait a day, an hour or even 10 minutes to update my status,” Roberto, 17, said in the New York Times article. “When it’s over, it’s over. I’m done with you.”

There are even mock "guides" to breaking up with a significant other using Facebook.

Gawker has a "how to" article "Breaking Up on Facebook: A User’s Guide to the Most Efficient Way to Break a Heart."

In it are instructions on what to do with privacy settings, relationship status and even detailed tips on what to write in a Facebook message to break the news.

How do you feel about Facebook breakups? Do you let your kids handle splits on their own, or do you step in to talk about healthy breakups?