In this high tech world of ours, do you ever feel like there are a million ways to communicate but you’re not ever being heard? Or worse yet, you’re heard but misunderstood?
Yesterday, my daughter and I ended up in a text battle that included bloodshed and casualties. When it became clear that the situation was escalating faster than I could keep up, I attempted to call her and was met with the dreaded half ring and then voice mail. What that equates to is
“Ugh, I saw you on caller ID and I’d rather have my teeth pulled without Novacaine than speak to you!”
Yes, it warms a mothers heart. Okay, so we can’t speak on the phone so then I have no choice but to return to text. This is going from bad to worse and despite my best attempts, the train is roaring down the tracks and I know that at any moment the train is going to jump off the track entirely.
And, boy, did it. 🙁
Thank God, it’s all rectified today and we can chalk it up to miscommunication…or hormones ~ whatever. The point is, today we just regroup and forget that little incident.
On the other hand, my husband and I are great problem solvers via text and email. When issues become a little tedious, I literally have texted him from other parts of the house so I can be “heard”… and it usually works. He has done the same thing. It’s far tougher to give a mobile device a dirty look and it really feel good. 🙂
So maybe I shouldn’t be so irked by the massive array of communication choices. Maybe there’s a time for the phone and a time for a text (in meetings, preferably) and a time for the personal conversation spent lingering over dinner.
I do know this. There’s always a right time for a sweet note left in a lunchbox or by the coffee pot. There’s always a good time to send a heart icon via text. There probably isn’t a great time to take offense at something and lash back with a written attack. The next time that train comes roaring toward me, I’m going to stop it dead in its tracks and just send a short and sweet “Let’s take a break. I love you” because delayed communication is far better than no communication at all.