Today I forgot an appointment my daughter had at 1 p.m. She texted me asking if it was still on and I replied yes, and could she ask her sister to take her? I was visiting a friend and knew her sister didn't have to work until later in the day. I was willing to get her if that didn't work out, but it did and she was dropped off, albeit late, to the appointment. I received a phone call shortly after from my eldest, asking if I would be picking her sister up from the appointment. Since it was only an hour, I said no, she could wait for her sister. She immediately gave me a litany of excuses ranging from "I haven't even showered yet" (um, hello? It's 1 p.m.) to "I wasn't planning on spending an hour of my day doing something for YOU!" (well, I wasn't planning on spending 19 years doing everything for YOU, but here we are) and "what am I supposed to DO for an HOUR?" (I suggested some self-reflection on how she could do more for others). She then told me I was "irresponsible", "she's YOUR daughter!" and "it's not my job to take up the slack for you screwing up".
Whoa. The joy continues.
Well, I'm off to happy hour with my husband! :) Hope the kids find something to make for dinner tonight.
Showing posts with label texting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label texting. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Parenting by text.....
Some will say that technology makes our life better. Some will say it makes it worse. I think it all depends on how you look at it. For example, I spend a lot less time screaming for my kids now that I can text them. The texts go something like this: Me: 'mere. Child: Why? Me: Don't argue with me. Just come. Child: K. Then, the child arrives in front of me and we have a conversation in a normal tone of voice instead of how it used to be, like this: Me: (insert child's name screamed at top volume, with syllables enunciated to distinguish between children - a curse of giving children names starting with the same first letter). Child: What? Me: Come here! Child: Who's here? Me: NO! COME HERE! Child: Let the dog out? See what I mean?
I enjoy parenting by text. I've had arguments, deep discussions, funny conversations and nice chats with my kids over text. Not that it's a substitution for face to face conversation. We have plenty of those, too. And they are punctuated by laughter, sometimes a little yelling, sometimes a lot of yelling, but mostly just good dialogue. Now, I'm not a fan of texting the person next to you (although I've done it) or texting at the dinner table (strictly off limits). My husband hates it when I text during a dinner out or at a school event (but sometimes I'm just checking up on the kids, really, I'm not on Facebook. Not always!). But I do enjoy texting instead of yelling. And I enjoy how I can keep tabs on the kids and not even be in the same room. For instance, I might hear a lot of yelling and raucous behavior, perhaps punctuated by a loud crash. And instead of rushing to see what happened, I might wait a minute then send a benign text: Save the pieces!
When my daughter is out late at night, and especially on nights she's with her father (who goes to bed before all the children!), I can have her text me when she's home, safe, without having to stay up and wait. I can get some sleep instead of trying to hold my eyes open over a book that keeps falling into my face, waking to that tell-tale chime of the text message. And, even though it's naughty and against the rules, I love it when I get a text during the school day saying I just got an A on my precalc test! I don't so much love the ones that say Mommy, I don't feel good or I forgot my lunch. But, still, it's nice to know I have this small link to my kids during the day, and that, when I once again forget to tell them I made an ortho appointment for right after school I can text them the good news and avoid a crisis (most of the time!).
Mostly, I love being able to parent from afar. When my kids are at their dad's, or on a vacation, and I can't be with them every day, I can still text and keep in touch. On my last trip to San Francisco, when I was exploring the city on my own, I took time throughout the day to text the kids pictures of my adventures and the sights. It was fun "sharing" it with them, especially since I didn't have anyone right beside me to share it with.
Still, there's no substitute for sending out a mass text to all the kids saying HOMEWORK, NOW! or Am I the only one who hears the dog barking? or even the occasional missive written in my kids' second language (text)........I LOVE YOU!
I enjoy parenting by text. I've had arguments, deep discussions, funny conversations and nice chats with my kids over text. Not that it's a substitution for face to face conversation. We have plenty of those, too. And they are punctuated by laughter, sometimes a little yelling, sometimes a lot of yelling, but mostly just good dialogue. Now, I'm not a fan of texting the person next to you (although I've done it) or texting at the dinner table (strictly off limits). My husband hates it when I text during a dinner out or at a school event (but sometimes I'm just checking up on the kids, really, I'm not on Facebook. Not always!). But I do enjoy texting instead of yelling. And I enjoy how I can keep tabs on the kids and not even be in the same room. For instance, I might hear a lot of yelling and raucous behavior, perhaps punctuated by a loud crash. And instead of rushing to see what happened, I might wait a minute then send a benign text: Save the pieces!
When my daughter is out late at night, and especially on nights she's with her father (who goes to bed before all the children!), I can have her text me when she's home, safe, without having to stay up and wait. I can get some sleep instead of trying to hold my eyes open over a book that keeps falling into my face, waking to that tell-tale chime of the text message. And, even though it's naughty and against the rules, I love it when I get a text during the school day saying I just got an A on my precalc test! I don't so much love the ones that say Mommy, I don't feel good or I forgot my lunch. But, still, it's nice to know I have this small link to my kids during the day, and that, when I once again forget to tell them I made an ortho appointment for right after school I can text them the good news and avoid a crisis (most of the time!).
Mostly, I love being able to parent from afar. When my kids are at their dad's, or on a vacation, and I can't be with them every day, I can still text and keep in touch. On my last trip to San Francisco, when I was exploring the city on my own, I took time throughout the day to text the kids pictures of my adventures and the sights. It was fun "sharing" it with them, especially since I didn't have anyone right beside me to share it with.
Still, there's no substitute for sending out a mass text to all the kids saying HOMEWORK, NOW! or Am I the only one who hears the dog barking? or even the occasional missive written in my kids' second language (text)........I LOVE YOU!
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