Texting in Middle Age

I finally succumb to the pressure. 

For the past few months I've received text messages from a business colleague who apparently forgets I don't have texting in my cell phone plan.  As a result, I've paid additional charges to AT&T.  My recent cell phone bills make it clear to me that it's cheaper to add texting to my plan than to pay a la carte.

So it's official.  I now text, heaven forbid.  Last weekend, while sitting in an open house for a property we have for sale, I practiced creating text messages and learning how to punctuate.  Tedious, I must admit.  While I came away with some basic skills, I also came away with a sore neck that required a trip to my chiropractor this week.

I'm not sure texting is a good thing.  Oh sure, my adult daughters are thrilled that Mom can now text.  And it was exciting when daughter #1 texted me that she had landed safely in Chicago on her return home from Europe.  And with the flurry of texting that went on with daughter #2 last weekend, my husband was sure I'd run through my plan in no time flat.

Yes, texting can come in handy when I need to get someone's attention.  Like yesterday when I texted 3 business colleagues about an offer made on a property and told them to get the details in the email I sent.

There's also a little thrill, I admit, when my phone goes off to indicate I've rec'd a text.  This will wear off quickly, I predict.  The part I find less thrilling is having to compose a reply using the keypad of a plain old cellphone.  I'm fatigued after sending off the message.  My friend has an IPhone and with the ease of that keypad sends me texts several paragraphs long!

Unlike texting, I think that email is one of the greatest advances ever created.  I pride myself on being one of the first out of my circle of friends, family and professional colleagues to use email back in the early '90's.  In spite of spam and other abuses of email, I still derive great value from it.

In my middle-aged opinion, texting has a place . . . but a much smaller place in the large scheme of things.  I grew up during a time when people hand-wrote letters to one another.  When talking long distance on the phone was a luxury (I always called collect to home while in college).  We learned to communicate the old fashioned way.  Call me old-school, I still like to hear a person's voice.

On the other hand, my daughters live in a generation addicted to texting and other forms of electronic communication.  My kids sleep with their cell phones, and my niece admits to be compulsively attached to her Blackberry.  One of these days the American Psychiatric Association will include obsessive texting in their diagnostic manual. 

Since it doesn't hurt to broaden my perspective, please leave a comment and share how texting has affected your life.  If you don't text, tell us why.

In the meantime, I'll text when absolutely necessary, but no more. 

[Photo Credit:  John Lee]

Comments

[Deb Estep]

Hey Deb,

Just for a little age background. I'm 51 and my hubby is 54.
Our older children are 30, 27 and almost 25.
Our youngest will be 13 very soon.

My hubby is in the computer field, and texting is
essential. Automated text messages are generated to
report computer system trouble. A few years ago, he was
a computer system admin and a text message meant he had
to act on something. Today he is a manager and he receives
all the text alerts that go out to the admins under him.
They are even sent with a situation severity level.
E.G.: SEV 1 SEV 2 SEV 3. Of course I can also
text message him like this: SEV 1 - add bread to
that grocery list. :)))))

It was sometime within the past 2 years that I started
texting. I'm better at it now than I used to be, but I have
to admit that it's been a challenge.
My daughter recently taught me the
certain key to make capital letters. LOL

I did learn a cool thing when sending text messages to
my kids... I can email them a text message !!!
If you are on limited text service you are not
charged for the outgoing text.
Check out this link for some info:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/email-to-sms/

The draw back is you need to know the person's
cell phone carrier.

The older children did not have cell phones when
growing up. I know for certain my one dtr was 21
and my older son was 18 when they purchased their
own cell phones.
Our youngest, Kevin, does have a cell phone.
He and I share a cell plan. Kevin does not go that far around
the neighborhood... YET, but to be able to reach him
instantly has been a major blessing. Most times I just
text message him.

I was just thinking about this yesterday. The home phone does
not ring with incoming calls from Kevin's friends.
Now this can be a good thing or maybe not so good.
I KNOW as a parent that teens can circumvent the truth
when it comes to where they are. For that reason, I know
the names and phone numbers of his friend's parents. He
also knows my philosophy of 'trust but verify'. I can
easily call to check and make sure he is where he tells
me he will be.

con't.......

[Deb Estep]

(My comment was TOO long)

Text messaging also plays a roll with the military
parents online support group of which I am a member.
Several of us have exchanged cell numbers and the
texts have been a lifeline. If someone is out
of range of their computer, another person can
post a group message that has come in to one another
via a text. During the hurricanes in Texas a Mom kept
in touch with me when her power was out. I was able
to update the group as to her status and safety.
Recently an Air Force Mom had a grandchild who was seriously
ill and in the hospital.
She sent me a text saying baby Daniel was out of ICU.
Another Air Force Mom was traveling to greet her son
upon his return from Iraq. I went to the airline site,
entered his flight number and her cell info and was
able to have text alerts come right to her phone
about his landing schedule. (Most military fly
commercial to some location in Europe, and then by
military transport on to the sand.)

I did update to a Samsung phone last
year and the keyboard lights up nice and bright.
No bifocals needed to read the keys.

All in all, I am happy to be texting, but as a Mom,
NOTHING beats a call from a far away kid.
To let you in on a text code I use to
elicit a call back from my kids...
"Are you still alive"? THAT does it every time. :)))

And speaking of snail mail. For Mother's day,
I pulled out the 2008 cards and told they kids ...
"do not send me cards this year". I have those
$4 and $5 dollar ones from last year already up
on display and they are certainly good for another year.

OKAY... I might as well share one more use of
technology to NUDGE my child. I sent my military son
an email picture of homemade cookies. Telling
him I was holding them hostage until I HEARD from him.
I heard from him very quickly.!!!

Thanks Deb for sharing your journey into the land
of texting. I think us boomers are starting to get
the hang of it. TTYL ;)

xo xo
Deb in Ohio

[Deb Call]

Wow - thanks Deb for sharing all the different ways you have found value in texting. Texting definitely ranks high if immediacy is called for.