Recently my daughter was running errands while her daughter, 16, was watching the 4-year-old at home. Stopping at the pharmacy, my daughter found that she couldn't remember the name of the skin cream that she needed to pick up for the 16-year-old. She sent a text message to her daughter's phone asking for the name of the cream and received a quick text in return: "win rycomen." She and the pharmacist puzzled over this reply. The pharmacist said he couldn't think of a product with that name or a similar name. Just then she received another text message, this one bearing a name familiar to the pharmacist. A little investigation revealed that the first text had been sent by the 4-year-old. Her intended message to her mother was, "When are you coming (home)?"
The whole family has chuckled over that story and marveled over the precocity of the 4-year-old, but the story has a moral for grandparents. If you resist technology like texting, you may be cutting off a vital line of communication with your grandchildren. In a society where 4-year-olds can text, it behooves Grandma and Grandpa to learn how to do it also. I've written an article about using technology to connect with teens. I guess it's time to revise it so that it applies to the younger set!
I loved this story. You have finally convinced me to learn how to text. The one technology I have avoided up until now. Hard to believe a four year old can text, but when I look at my two year old grandson, growing and learning so much every day, I can believe it. Wonderful!