TEXTING WOES OF THE ANCIENT MIND

TEXTING WOES OF THE ANCIENT MIND
Wednesday, September 16, 2026 by Linda Wood Rondeau

Categories: MUSINGS

A recent meme mourned an adult child’s concern over a text from his elderly parent:

Call me as soon as you can.

The child wondered, “Did someone die or does Mom need help with her printer again?”

I suppose the need to be exact goes both ways. When a parent gets a text, “Not feeling well today,” from an adult child … how should we respond?

Go into instant anxiety mode?

Call the ambulance for our child?

Or simply answer … “What’s wrong? Need to chat? Call me now.”

Texting has replaced the need for frequent phone calls.

Although I personally like hearing my kids’ voices, as well as the grands '.

My son, age 56, dislikes texting. He tends to be cryptic and short when he does. If I send a text, he prefers to call, rather than text a response. I like that. And we can chat about other things going on in his life. That way, he’s calling me at his convenience.

That is the beauty of texting for me … the kids and grands, who have busy lives, can respond on their clock. I hate being a bother.

That’s the benefit of group texts. Instant info for everyone at the same time rather than making a host of phone calls. When I was in the hospital recently, group texts were appreciated by all to know how I was doing. I even sent a video.

The downside of family and group texts? The phone buzzes persistently with emojis.

Texting, though, for nervous tics and fat thumbs can produce hilarious, and sometimes, confusing context. Or even when using the mic option … the results can be unusual, for sure.

An AI-generated anecdote I found amusing is:

“Our family group chat is less a conversation than a digital neighborhood. My sister is the weather station, posting storm warnings before the first cloud arrives. My cousin is the community bulletin board, forwarding alerts that were debunked in 2017. An aunt supplies twelve nearly identical photos of her lunch, while an uncle answers every question with a thumbs-up—whether the subject is dinner plans or knee surgery. Meanwhile, the original message, “Who can bring rolls on Sunday?” disappears beneath birthday GIFs, mysterious abbreviations, and one accidental photograph of somebody’s ceiling. I once tried to leave the chat quietly, but the app announced my departure like a town crier. Within seconds, three relatives asked whether I was angry, two called to check on me, and one added me back.”

Too true to life! Thanks, AI.

It appears an older person can retire from a job, but not from a family group text.

What are your texting mishaps? If you care to share.

LESSONS ALONG THE WAY

buy link: https://www.amazon.com/Lessons-Along-Linda-Wood-Rondeau-ebook/dp/B0BYWNXX6P

Also available in print … a great Christmas gift.

From the author of I Prayed for Patience: God Gave Me Children and Who Put the Vinegar in the Salt

Life is a series of adventures. And each adventure shows us more about our God … his power manifested or his gentle patience demonstrated.

God is with us through the mundane and the miraculous, always teaching us how to experience him fully and lean on him every day.

As in the hymn of old, God leads along—sometimes through troubled waters, sometimes through fire, and sometimes by quiet streams. Always, he is with us, directing us, guiding us, and teaching us what obedience, trust, and love truly mean.

Adapted from her long-running newspaper column, each devotional is a revelation of one of God’s many blessings.