<p>Got a new phone yesterday so that I could be on Ds’ plans, free calling to each, etc. and younger D just gave me a crash course in TEXTING. Ha! So much fun. All set to go when older D leaves this summer.<br>
She laughed till she cried, though, when I kept saying, “Wait, we need to capitalize this! Wait, how do I put in the comma we need here?”</p>
<p>She might tease you about punctuation now, but I probably laughed just as hard the first time my mom sent a text along the lines of “when r u gonna b home 2nite?” ;)</p>
<p>Congrats on the new skill!</p>
<p>Texting is an example of the destruction of our language. I certainly hope speech recognition software for cell phones develops quickly enough to prevent the end of the world as we know it.</p>
<p>Take heart, razorsharp! I (and a lot of my friends) still use proper grammar and punctuation when we text. It takes longer, but it drives me CRAZY when I don’t.</p>
<p>I think it’s possible to be bilingual. You can shorten the language on texts and IM and still be capable of writing a coherent paragraph in a research paper.</p>
<p>Definitely. 
I’ll shorten stuff once in a while if I’m in a hurry (or if I’m texting and trying to sleep but the person won’t take the hint…happens to me a lot. XD), but my writing conventions are excellent. :)</p>
<p>I could type a 3 paragraph email on my blackberry in 5 minutes, but it would take me just as long to text “Hope you are having a good day, love Mommy.” My kids think it’s impossible to do texting with me. It would take them 5 seconds to text me and it would take me minutes to reply.</p>
<p>I learned how to text when daughter left for college last August. I still have not mastered punctuation and capitalization. She just laughs at me, but does love those occasional texts that read, “Good luck on your test tomorrow i love you goodnight mommy” It takes me forever to type a text and she replies before I can get the phone back in my pocket. But I try and she appreciates my effort.</p>
<p>It just takes practice. And predictive texting.</p>
<p>Some of the shortcuts, according to my kids, have to do with saving money on texts – number of characters, keeping it all to one text, etc. With this new package, we got unlimited texting so I can be as careful with my prose as I want to be. I AM slow, though.</p>
<p>I’m 21 and I don’t really text - I’d rather call/email/IM people. I did find it hilarious when the boss from my summer job texted me a few nights ago to ask me when I was coming home for the summer. I thought he barely knew how to use a computer, let alone text! 
I guess if he can do it, I’d better join the 21st century as well…</p>
<p>I was encouraged to learn how to text by a friend in England. They are well ahead of us there. It took some getting used to it but now I find it extremely useful.</p>
<p>My son loves it when I text. I think it removes the stigma of answering a phone in a group of his friends & saying “hi, mom.”</p>
<p>TallSon (age 16) is a texting junkie, and he always uses proper spelling and punctuation. He looks down on typical cell phone text authors.</p>
<p>I love this kid.</p>
<p>We have recently gotten unlimited text for both S’s because the overages on the phone bill were killing us. S2 (18) informed me this week that texting was the most efficient means of communication! I text S’s occasionally but am very slow at it. DH has no clue on texting and can’t imagine how S’s 1 and 2 can have hundreds of texts per month.</p>
<p>I just recently bought a Blackberry so I’ll have the full keyboard. I’m excited to get it activated :)</p>
<p>I have never sent or received a text message on a phone. I did enjoy my blackberry, however, when working and I remain an email junkie. I don’t think my kids send a lot of text messages but not sure. H handles phone contract issues.</p>