hookin up

"hookin up" was not a common phrase in my vernacular growing up. when it was said, it meant meeting up with friends. it became more common, but i was unaware of any explicit sexual connotation until after my divorce. i didnt understand why the guy i was seeing at the time got so irritated when i said i was going to "hook up" with my friends-some of them who were men. turns out that where he comes from and his "generation" (he was several years younger than me. i know, cougar.)uses the term "hookin up" as slang for sex-namely casual sex. one night stands and bootie calls. i stopped using the phrase completely just to avoid being misunderstood.
i mention this because i have been noticing my teenage nieces and nephews posting their "lover of the day" on facebook. they are too young to have lovers! what the heck are they talking about and why arent they ashamed to post such things for their aunt to see? i am thinking that like "hookin up", that the term "lover", might not mean to them what it means to me. i will be seeing two of them this weekend and i am hoping to get the whole story on this "lover" business. if their spinster aunt doesnt have a lover there is NO WAY that these teenage kids are going to have one!