Sean Mallory on the challenges of a modern family.
Not renowned among my friends for responding in long texts to everyday general inquiries such as being informed that they are meeting in a bar at a particular day and time and am I up for it usually warrants a response from myself of a simple ‘OK’ or ‘No’.
A response which generally tends to exasperate them. Quite possibly because their original text is time laden with information and they perhaps anticipate a more similar time laden response but only receive a blunt but unambiguous reply.
Most times I find in general, texting to be quite laborious and especially using acronyms to be more laborious than texting the full message.
But what has struck me with texting is the amount of acronyms that are used now to relay a message. I understand most that I receive as I am generally communicating with people of a similar age bracket and find that ‘we oldies’ tend to keep things simple by restricting our use to the more familiar acronyms such as ‘CU8R’...anything outside of this is generally a cause for concern and requires a google search to decipher. Never ever respond to the sender with ‘what does that mean’....that will in turn lead to a lot of ridicule as to what an idiot you are! Speaking of which and the point of this little anecdote:
The other night whilst sitting down to dinner I was informed by children that I was so uncool with regards to using the texting acronym ‘LOL’.
‘That is so last year’ was the response I received from a 9 year old who doesn’t even have a phone and yet is so up-to-date with texting acronyms! On asking how did he know that, I was responded to with ‘OMG’, like are you serious Daddy!
I looked at my wife for some degree of support but she sided with the kids that nobody in the know would dream of using ‘LOL’ anymore. So much for better or worse!
Further inquiries on my behalf as to what to use lead them to respond in a Homer Simpson fashion with ‘Duh’ and a slap to their forehead. Poor Daddy hasn’t a clue.
This little learning curve has raised my texting awareness to a level where I am much more conscientious as to what I text. Perhaps it's the wake-up call or the sudden realisation that I am of an age gone by and to stop trying to be at an age that I’m not.
Anybody else suffering this humiliation from their kids?
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