How to talk to your kid

Or wait, better yet, how to get your kid to talk to you.

It's become quite evident lately that the only opportunity I have to find out what #1 is up to is via text messaging. He and I keep fairly different hours whereby I leave for work and he's still sleeping. I get home and he's usually come and gone again. Or still gone. When he gets home, I'm usually in bed. Between working and the school stuff and the "insert name of female friend here" time, it seems like I never get to see him anymore.

I try phoning him. He doesn't answer. Which really ticks me off I may add. One of the reasons I signed him up for a cell is that so I could be in touch with him. And I phone and he never answers.

So, I asked for the phone back. He apparently wasn't using it like I thought he should and therefore he didn't need it. He promised me he would answer when I called. If he could. I put the promise to the test and sure enough he was answering my calls. I'll admit it, I'd phone him just to see if he would answer. I know, never mind...

But then, I'd call and I'd go directly to voicemail. Then came the lecture about keeping his phone charged. Because, when asked why his phone was going directly to voicemail, according to him, "it was dead"... Sure, sure. I'm fairly certain either the thing was turned off or that "ignore" buttom immediately shuts the whole process down...

So, it was apparent that I'd have to do the text message thing. Because, as we all know, kids don't use phones for talking, they use them for typing. Thank goodness I have a "qwerty" phone because I seriously don't believe that I would've ever figured out that other way they type the words in that they send over the telephone. I don't even know what its called to tell you the truth. But, text messaging wasn't getting me any further in the game of staying in touch with my kid either. Aware that I only have 140 characters, and well, I tend to get a little verbose in my messaging, I was filling his mailbox up with conversations and lectures and questions and stuff. Stuff that I was getting one word answers to. Let me re-phrase that... one letter answers... No conversations. No insight. Just "k". Or "y". Occasionally I'd get a "kk" which I assume means, in actual conversation speak "OKAY!! I SAID I WOULD!!!!". But I can't be sure.

But I think I've figured out how to get him to talk to me. I mean, text me.

I no longer send him messages. I wait for him to send to me. Let me tell you, a few days with no texts from his mom and he starts sending me messages. Sure, they may be nothing more than "hey" or "how r u" but at least he's sending them to me. And I know he still has use of his thumbs. Which is a good thing if you get what I mean.

I received a text from him early this afternoon. "Hey, my phone died last night and its charged now."

To which I replied "k".

Not 30 seconds later, and I really mean that, the crickets start singing and it's another text message. "I'm at "insert name of female friend here" still. Went to Avatar last nite it was great" And, before you go off on me about him spending the night at, well, never mind.... we're not discussing that right now.

Where was I.... oh yeah, to which I replied "kk".

Almost instantaneously the crickets sang again...

"Why are u texting only letters?"

"driving" was my reply.

"2 where" came back within 10 seconds.

Not wanting to further compromise myself behind the wheel, and I didn't think the conversation was worth it either, I didn't respond. And BOOM!! another message "2 where??" I started to giggle.

As I pulled in the driveway he hit me one more time "where are you driving 2" to which I replied "home". "where were u?" was what he came back with.

I ignored it. If he wanted to know what was going on he could pick up the damn cell phone and call me.

This blog has been brought to you by the letter "K".

Ciao!