<p>In this impatient world where texting allows for immediate communication, and no reply in a nanosecond means “I am breaking up with you” or “I am ignoring you”, please tell me that you are very sure that you and yours are not texting while driving! It soooo tempting to read that message when that buzz sounds and to send “k” in response. But sometimes it really does have to wait, and it doesn’t mean that the fellow text-ee is being ignored.</p>
<p>With 3 daughters and a son & H’s Blackberry (company pays for it) we have unlimited texting. They all seem to read a text right away & respond with another text! Leaving voice mail doesn’t seem to get their attention! Lots of unused minutes here.</p>
<p>slumom, we have a similar situation. I’m the “talker” of the family so I get all of the minutes to myself! :)</p>
<p>My mom refused to add texting to our family plan for a LONG time, she felt similarly to you. It’s what everyone does these days. Part of my aversion to calling (though when I need quick information I will call) is because that’s just not what my generation does anymore. Yes it’s sometimes stupid, but that’s just how it is. </p>
<p>I would urge you to consider the main benefit to texting during college-- almost nobody turns off their phones in class or at work. They just don’t. They are on silent or vibrate, and as such sometimes people forget. If I don’t know for SURE my friend isn’t in a class, I won’t call, because one text beep is much more inconspicuous than a phone ringer actually going off and they are much less likely to get in trouble for it. That’s a serious risk when you and your friends aren’t all in class at the same time like in high school. Shouldn’t they just turn off their phone? Sure! But they don’t. So that is one reason that texting is the preferred method of communication at least during the school year, and why my mom finally let us have texting-- she wanted to be able to get a hold of me without knowing my class schedule. :P</p>
<p>I absolutely detest text messaging. I’m a teenager, but I’m sick and tired of seeing my peers drain their lives away with cell phones. If it were used in moderation, fine. But we have too many idiots walking in front of traffic, into poles, etc. Huge waste of time, anyway. Why do you always have to be communicating?</p>
<p>Oh, I am so glad to know that there are others like my D!! She waited almost a year past the time she could upgrade her cell phone until she found a model which suited her texting habit- she also has really small hands which make texting a challenge so it had to be “just right” (my “virtual” keyboard was too big, so she ended up with an EnVY3). The girl never uses the phone for talking, never. She even sends me a text message when she’s in a different part of the house! She will have two roomates and she has contacted both via FaceBook and on-line chat but I assume she’ll have to hold a real conversation when they meet. E-mail is used for contact when text messaging isn’t an option. This began as a way to “save her voice” (talking on a cell phone is one of the worst things for a singer since it requires one to pitch the voice at an unnatural level) and she is very comfortable hauling out her MagnaDoodle when she is on vocal rest too! Because of her, I think I send texts more than I would have, and have even found it an effective way to communicate with others since it’s short and consise.
BTW, PackMom, we have Verzizon too and the fact that any carrier charges .20/text is a rip-off; data messages cost them far less to transmit than phone calls. Complain to them every chance that you get!!</p>
<p>One of the main benefits that I’ve found in text messaging is the since of privacy. My mom is the only one who calls me, but I’m uncomfortable having a full conversation in public, with everyone hearing me. By texting, I’m able to be discrete. I hate twitter and constant status updates on facebook-- its too egotistical to think anyone actually cares.</p>
<p>kitch-- I hear you on that! I am on vacation with my mom and sister right now and yesterday had to figure out how to finish an argument with my boyfriend without my family hearing every word I had to say to him. I imagine at school in the Fall, when I will have no privacy ever again, that may come in handy.</p>
<p>Ok, I knew my daughter was obsessed with texting but I didn’t know the extent until I got a message to contact my carrier today. Seems they wanted to talk to me about “excessive usage” this month. In a mere 30 days, DD had nearly 7000 texts. She only has 1000 free in her plan (excluding those in her circle and to other members of our household). After subtracting those out, she still had nearly 4000 texts at a cost of .15 each for a total of $579! Carrier was reasonable and agreed to only charge $19.99 this time for overage. To say that I wasn’t pleased is an understatement. 7000 texts in a month??? That is approximately 250 per day! Argh!!</p>
<p>It sounds like she’s not sending 250 a day, but is probably involved with Twitter now. I only text 3-4 times a day from my phone, but I get about 150 Twitter messages a day. (And I only have 40 or so Twitter friends!) Two things you can do: 1. Sign up for unlimited texting (which is what the $19.95 charge would be) or 2. Tell daughter if she’s using Twitter, to adjust the settings so that tweets are not going to her mobile device. She can still use Twitter, just not get things on the phone – she’d have to wait to see them on a computer.</p>
<p>So far, my kids are very brief in telephone conversations & up until now have also been very low on texting. We just bought them the $5 package for 250 texts and will see how it goes. They have new phones that have keyboards and D is thrilled. I have unlimited talking & texting on my phone which has only a traditional keypad but have been texting her more now that she has a text plan. Her room mate LOVES texting, so it’s probably a good idea to at least have the $5 package. Hopefully she’ll keep track of her texts.</p>
<p>No, they’re all texts. She doesn’t tweet (is that a verb?) at all. I think she texts entirely too much so I don’t want her thinking that she has unlimited texting. Honestly, you can’t go anywhere with her (out to eat, to the mall, to a sporting event, etc.) without her texting continuously. And its not just with me. She does it ALL the time.</p>
<p>M’s Mom, welcome to the club. My D routinely has 5000+ texts per month (That’s 2500 in and 2500 out). The unlimited texting plan was the best investment I ever made. You can have a power struggle day in and day out over this, or you can get the unlimited plan and set guidelines for its use (ie phone must be turned OFF during dinner and homework, and at bedtime. Take the phone and hold it yourself if you have to.)</p>
<p>Today I was watching D finishing up at her sports practice, when I got a text message. I assumed it was my son, but low and behold it was another adult! My sister in law! We had a text conversation between two adults!</p>