Kids and Texting – It Ain’t All Bad
By: Gayla Baer
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It’s rare these days to find a teen or tween even, without a cell phone in their hands. Everyone is texting. It’s the way to communicate – and we, the parents must learn to deal with it.
Gone are the days of kids pacing the floor – trying to build up the nerve to phone the object of their affection. In it’s wake we have the option of texting – while it’s much less harsh to be rejected by texting, I do find concern with how much texting might be altering my kids ability to communicate effectively.
Still, there are positives to be considered:
While face-to-face conversations are best, especially when it comes to those important topics such as sex, drugs and grades – but if your kids spend a great deal of time texting, take advantage of their obsessions with technology.
According to a study conducted by Kelton Research for Samsung –
68% of American parents communicate with their kids through text message.
56% of teens age 13-19 said they communicate more often with their parents since they began text messaging.
53% of teens that text message said their relationship with their parents has improved because of texting.
51% of parents who text message with their teens say they communicate more often with their kids now than they did before they began text messaging.
Texting gives kids more freedom and space but allows parents to keep in touch as often as needed.
Having the ability to think about and edit your messages before pressing send means there’s less chance of saying something you’ll regret later.
In as much as many parents find frustration in their child’s addiction to texting – there’s obviously positives that should be factored in as well.
My kids have cell phones – they text and have even started coming to me asking for help in composing text messages to those special girls that have captured their eye – how could I find fault in that? Not only have my kids turned into fine young men, but they trust MOM to help them become men that women will want.
Has texting had a positive impact on your life or on that of your family? I’d love to hear more!
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March 1, 2009 Filed under MomGadget
It’s cheaper to send a message. Sometimes you could be in a crowded place and you might not hear whom you’re talking therefore texting is the perfect solution. It had a positive impact on my life. I’m young, and I’m texting a lot. I really enjoy it!
The problem with texting
for me is the keyboard, (numbers), that you have to type to compose your message.
The buttons are so small and having 3 letters per button is a pain.
I have seen a new cellphone that has a full keyboard that slides out from behind the phone and has all the letters on their own keys.
Seems like a good solution
I agree, texting is a great tool. If it’s too loud to hear a phone call, but you need to get information to someone, you don’t have many other options. If your child or friend does not have a text messaging plan, they could always use a free texting site like http://www.fivedigittext.com. That site allows replies and does not require you to know the other person’s carrier (most require carrier and do not support replies).
thank you, i like it
nice read
Sometimes I wish we didn’t have cell phone anymore. Life was so much simpler 20 years ago.