The recent LG U.S. National Texting Championship in New York required contestants to send a text in 60 seconds while running on a treadmill, translate text-message abbreviations and text the alphabet while blindfolded.
A 14-year-old Georgia girl, the youngest in the competition, came in second with her older stepsister in third place. The nimble-fingered skills come from hours and hours of sending text messages (in the hundreds) each day.
Which raises the question in my mind: Should such acclaim make a parent proud?
No, thanks. I want my daughters to see the world with their heads up on occasion.
But it is a challenge in a hi-tech culture. And no one wants to be left behind by a failure to effectively use available communication technology.
Like everything else, however, it is a matter of balance.
With school out for the summer, my daughters spend a lot more time engaged with a computer. I fear too much stimulation from simulation games.
So they often hear from me: “Off the computer” — followed by an unwelcome announcement that bikes, hikes and ballgames are on the agenda as well.
I want them to exercise more than their thumbs and to actually talk face-to-face with another human being.
Texting is a good communication tool — in moderation. But for many teens, and perhaps others, it has become an obsession 4COL (for crying out loud).