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I never want anyone to say I'm too old to learn anything new, as I used to say about the older workers when computers became common in the workplace. I remember how sorry I felt for the plump secretary just this side of retirement that could not move. That. Mouse. It was all I could do not to snatch it from her tiny hand and do it for her. Now text messaging is here, and I am learning about paybacks.

I thought of that old secretary when my son grabbed my cell phone out of my hands as I was typing in a text message, saying "Let me do that." He must have felt some of the same frustration as he watched me painstakingly enter text letters one key punch at a time. For all the discomfort I caused him, I do love text messaging.

It is the perfect medium for interrupting my husband during his business meetings. I can text my son while he's in school with full confidence that his phone is turned off, but that he'll get my message on his next break. A text message is a subtle way to interrupt without actually interrupting.

I can send my sister a quick message when I don't have time for a long phone conversation. Text messaging allows me to say exactly what I need to say. Of course, she can always reply back with another question. A few of those back and forth and I might as well call her.

I not only give, I like to receive as well. If I'm in a meeting, I'm more likely to take a quick look at my phone and get a message than I am to interrupt the meeting by taking a call.

Like everything good, too much can be a bad thing. Trying to have a conversation with someone while also having a text conversation with a third person is rude. While text messaging seems to be unobtrusive, the constant pecking at the phone during a movie is distracting. Even a phone on vibrate is not altogether silent. Sometimes, it seems that the text messages come in faster than they can be answered. Besides all that, my curiosity gets the best of me. What can they possibly be texting about that is more interesting than me or the movie?

I worry that our children will forget their spelling and grammar. My son took an on-line computer class, a high school graduation requirement. He was shocked to receive an e-mail from the instructor after the first assignment reminding the students to use the spell check button, that little check-mark with the "abc" next to it. Apparently, the students were generally unfamiliar with the feature. She reminded her students that assignments are to be written in complete sentences, not abbreviated text. Imagine that.

I tried my hand at this abbreviated language, but learned it is not a necessity. I am proud to say that my older son, a bit of perfectionist, doesn't buy into the abbreviated TXT language. He simply refuses to read it and ignores any messages with abbreviations. Instead, he showed me how to set my phone so that it anticipates my word with a single keystroke, making the need for abbreviating unnecessary.

A few other cautions I've learned with text messaging are similar to e-mails. Don't assume they are private. Like e-mail, don't text anything you wouldn't want your boss (or spouse) to read.

Jokes are best made in person. The subtle nuances and dual meanings of language are easily lost in a text message. That's what emoticons are for.

Text messaging is convenient but it is not the last word in communication. As cell phones integrate with the web and e-mail, new messaging options will become available. It's not enough that I have to learn something new to keep from feeling old. Every time I conquer new technology, it changes.

Learn more about this author, Sandra Douglas.
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