Deeanne Gist - www.deeannegist.com - Inspirational Romance Author

Sunday, February 11, 2007

Text Messaging

My kids use their cell phones to text message their friends more than they use them for making phone calls. With the plan we have now, our daughter currently is allowed to send 400 text messages a month. She just told her dad she will pay the extra money if he would upgrade her to 800 text messages.

Now I ask you, eight hundred? Per month? Greg simply could not wrap his mind about this. "If you want to tell your friends something, what is wrong with just calling them--for free?"

My daughter was unable to give an articulate answer, so, peace-maker that I am, I jumped in to try and help things along.

"You know, honey, I bet when telephones were first invented, those parents said, 'If that young man wants to talk to you, then why can't he just come on over to the house!'"

Greg said that was a lame comparison. My daughter like it, though. :-) Bottom line, he wasn't buying (no pun intended). Truth is, I've secretly been thinking about signing up for text messaging myself. My cell phone can receive them, but I'm not set up to send them. And my son sends them to me all the time. Things like:

What's for dinner?
I'm at Ben's house.
I forgot my lunch money.
Happy Birthday.

I've found that I wanted to respond to these queries with a quick text message rather than leaving a message on his phone. (Especially if he's at school because he's not suppose to have it on and I don't want it to ring and get him in trouble.)

Trying to use the phone pad to type, though, is quite a challenge. You should see my kids. They can type almost as quickly on their phones as they can on a computer keyboard. It's crazy.

So what about you? Do you text message on your phone?

posted by Deeanne at 11:02 PM

10 Comments:

Barb said...: I've never text-ed and don't think I wanna learn. But my record for e-mails to any one friend in a day is about 100. In one day, to one friend. That's unusual, and some friends I e-mail are in other states, buuuuut when I actually counted on that day, I was a little amazed....
:o0
Sandy said...: Holy Cow, Barb! 100!! That is scary!
We've texted a little bit. Our kids did it for a while and I actually liked it! Then we informed them if they go over the "limit" they have to pay. Now they are back to using the phone with very little texting.
I'm surprised Greg didn't give in (you know how it is with daughters -- all they have to do is bat their pretty eyes!) LOL!
Katybug said...: I like to use the texting feature on my phone. It's nearly always to my husband...that way I can send him a message without interrupting him. And frankly, I don't really like to talk on the phone.

That being said...800 TEXTS????? That's a bit much!
smac said...: I am SO TECHNICALLY CHALLENGED that the very idea of having to learn text-messaging sends my heart into palpitations. ha-ha. I'm pushing 60. Please don't make me learn one more thing. I can't even watch a DVD without someone's assistance on the remote. Aren't I pathetic????

I've been so out of touch with you all. My writing deadlines are catching up with me--freaking me out is more like it! So I've been limiting myself on the internet. I can get a bit obsessive over some blogs and websites--and Dee Gist's website/blog just happens to be one of them! I was checking it like--hm, several times a day there for a while. Came close to entering a 12-step program if I didn't get a grip on myself!

Anyway, I'm back, but just to catch up with y'all. Hope everyone is fine and dandy. Okay, back to the drawing board.

Love and blessings to all.
Shar
Deeanne said...: Welcome back, Shar. We wondered where you'd run off to!

Sandy, You totally called Greg's bluff. Our daughter told me yesterday he signed her up for unlimited text messaging. I simply rolled my eyes!

100 emails to *one* person in *one* day? I am impressed! Wonder if you could get in the Guinness Book of World Records!
;-)

Oh, you've about convinced me, Katybug. I think I would like text messaging alot.
Barb said...: Re 100--Obviously not all messages sent these days are deep and meaningful essays... :o)
Katybug said...: Texting is just another form of email. The thing that makes it so easy for me is my phone. I have a Blackberry, and the keypad is set up like a computer keyboard. That's nice because I don't have to push the same button 3 times to get the last letter (i.e., pushing the number 2 button to get a C--does that make sense?). The drawback is when I have to call a phone number that has letters in it. The last 4 digits of my husband's and my cell numbers are our names (ex: 555-KATY). Then the numbers don't match up with the letters. That's when problems arise! :-) However...if you have a phone with that kind of keypad, texting is very very handy.
Meg said...: I have never text-messaged in my life. I'm not even sure I know how to find a missed message on my cell phone. I think I'm stuck somewhere in the previous century.
daisy4given said...: I personally can't STAND talking on the phone, and avoid it at all costs, so i was thrilled when using email became common place. But then it was funny because when texting first came out, I was completely against it (I'm 25 now, so it was a bit unheard of among my peers for me to shun this new technology). And yet, in the last few months I have found texting to be fantastic! Like you said, it's a great, quicker and more accessible alternative to calling or emailing, AND i know I won't interrupt someone when i send them one. My husband and i text back and forth often while we're both at work. I think my record is just under 100 in a month. 800 seems like a TON, but hey, teenagers have a lot of friends, so I can see how it's possible!
relevantgirl said...: Just a quick note to tell you I miss you on the blogosphere. Hope all is well. Are you under a mean ol' deadline?