“Yes, calling means a lot more— but don’t let that stop you from sending a text if that’s the best you can do!”
Thank you to Ahava Ehrenpreis for her piece on the gift and curse of people texting instead of making a phone call. I wanted to add something. I have a handful of little kids and I’ve been finding it difficult to juggle all the balls. When I think about someone and want to reach out, I know that calling is so much more valuable. The problem is, I’m so overwhelmed that I don’t make that call — and to be honest, often when people call me, it sometimes feels like a burden on my end, too. If I’m with the kids, it’s hard to talk as they clamor for my attention, and if I’m not with the kids, I have so little time to myself that I do feel I’m giving it up by spending time on the phone.
After spending a few years in the thought process of, “I should make that call,” but never making it, I’ve come to realize that right now, doing my best means sending a simple text message. When thinking of others, I used to either call or nothing, but after being in a needy place myself sometimes, I realized that a text message from someone who I know can’t currently make the time to call, still means so much more than resounding silence. So yes, calling means a lot more — but don’t let that stop you from sending a text if that’s the best you can do!
A.L.
In the article about whether or not to shelter your kids, the third point of view said that “Children who grew up with firm, high barriers may be uninformed and unsophisticated.” I beg to differ.
My children are sheltered, sheltered from screens, and sheltered from other technology. Baruch Hashem, they’re still very sophisticated. My nine-year-old surprised his teacher by rattling off all the presidents. My boys know all the states and their capitals. They know plenty of Jewish and American history.
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