Parents can benefit from text messaging, too — they just need to take the time to learn how and try it out. Start communicating in the “language” of teens and bulid a closer relationship and open lines of communication with them.
Contrary to what parents might think, kids want to communicate with parents — but on their own terms. With text messaging, parents can connect with teens in a more convenient way. Text messaging allows parents to get quick answers to important questions, give their teen independence while still staying connected and enter their child’s world by using the child’s preferred mode of communications. Texting gives kids more space and allows parents to keep in touch as often as necessary.
Text messaging is a great way of communicating because:
• Today’s kids have very busy lives and between school and extra-curricular activites, and they might not have time to have a normal conversation.
• Kids are more apt to respond to text messages when their friends are around. It is discreet and won’t be as embarrasing as answering the phone and saying “Hello, Dad.”
• You, or they, don’t have to worry about tone of voice. Some kids tend to become defensive when they hear their parents’ tone, which often results in delays or avoidance in returning phone calls. Texting helps to take tone of voice and misinterpretation out of the mix and can improve response times.
• Text messaging allows parents to compose and edit a message before pressing send. If emotion surrounds an issue, writing things out before actually saying them can help edit thoughts. By making parents think about it more, texting removes explosive emotions from potentially charged communications and situations.
About 63% of parents that use text messaging believe that it improves communication with their children, according to a recent survey on text messaging and parents conducted by a company called Mediathink. In addition, 65% of parents surveyed found that texting made their kids easier to reach.
So, go to your your local provider and ask someone to show you the basics of text messaging. Your kids will thank you!
Jonathan Masker is a wireless solution expert and a self-proclaimed gadget guru. Reach him at jonathan.masker@gmail.com.