First installment of Text Conversations with My Teen

My daughter is almost fourteen years old. Despite that I've always been affectionate, available and open to discussions of all kinds, she doesn't talk to me that much anymore. She rolls her eyes at my very sensible suggestions. She closes her bedroom door when she hears me coming up the stairs. It's enough to give a mom a complex.

I signed up for an unlimited family texting plan because I like to text a lot and she texts with her friends more than she talks with them on the phone. Funny, I remember when I had to get my own phone line as a teenager (pre-cell phone days) because my mom was tired of me tying up the line for days on end.

I text with my friends, I text with my mother, but it hadn't occurred to me until recently to start texting my daughter. From the other room.

My daughter has a wicked sense of humor and a flair for the sarcastic. I have no idea where she got it. Shrug. When she is gracing me with her attention and presence, I feel like I'm dealing with a wild animal. I don't want to look her in the eye because I am afraid that if she realizes that I'm intently paying attention, she'll turn and run. Or attack. LOL

I've noticed that some of our best conversations these days happen via text message. I even SAVE them all so that I can go back and read them again. I'm a mommy-texting-stalker.

Here's a conversation that I KNOW wouldn't have happened face-t0-face, and even though it had to be painful, I was SO thrilled that she was texting this to me.

They went on a trip to a chorus festival and she got the solo. I was unable to attend because they didn't have enough chaperone spots and you couldn't go if you weren't a chaperone

Me: Do you have your phone with you?
Her: Yeah. And I screwed it up...I wanna cry. I screwed it up terribly.
Me: I bet it wasn't bad.
Her: I'm starving right now. And ashamed!
Me: Ashamed? Honey, everyone gets nervous. I bet you did well. Are you guys close to home?
Her: No, we're still in the parking lot
Her: On a scale of 1-5, 1 being the best, we got a....5. Nah...JK, we got a 2!
Me: LOL See? That's really good!
Her: I'm probably the reason why we didn't get a 1. Can we go out to eat?
Me: Yeah we can. You're not the reason. And 2 is a good score!
Her: xsmkm2swvyen
Me: Are you guys on the road?
Her: Yes

See? She wouldn't have told me that with words. That come out of her mouth.

She is in New York City this week on a school trip and I've been awaiting her text updates with bated breath.

Here are snippets of conversations that we've had over the past couple of days while she's been gone:

Her (on the charter bus): 3G! I have 3G in the middle of seventeen trillion trees, but not in the wide open at home!
Me: Great! What state are you in?
Her: I have no clue. I think near or in New Jersey
Me: LOL Did you sleep?
Her: Yeah. At least five hours. The bus squeaks and shakes. A lot. But at least I got sleep.
Me: Yes, that's good!
Her: I have a peculiar feeling that we're somewhat near the Barrel of Crackers
Me: Barrel of monkeys going to a barrel of crackers. Is everyone still sleeping?
Her: No, only K & D
Me: Make sure when you get dressed to put on deodorant and brush your teef

Next day:

Her: We're in H&M
Me: Oooh jealous! Gonna buy something?
Her: Yep!
Me: Oh what?
Her: Not sure
Me: If you see a LUSH store, call me. I'll call in an order and you can bring it with you! LOL
Her:

later:
Me: Is it hot there?

Her: We went to Juicy Couture, Prada, H&M, Trump Towers and the NBC gift shop. I got an I Love NY shirt. It's grey! And I got an Apple Snapple! I was so excited

Me: Snapple apple is apple snapple. Sounds fun! We saw Trump Towers and NBC when we were there, remember?

Her: We went inside TT. And I got a mushroom pizza for lunch at the museum. I got a few pick for Gorge (her nickname for her brother, Jordan). I forgot to take one of Dum Dum. I got dinos, though.

Me: TT?

Her: Towers de Trump!

Me: Oh cool

Her: At the top of the rock. What if what happened in the Empire State Building happens here?

(info break--her ears hurt so badly when we got up to into the Empire State Building, just in LINE that we couldn't go up...we had to leave)

Me: You'll be fine
few minutes later
Me: Everything ok?

Her: Yeah. My ears hurt, but it wasn't as bad as last time.

Me: Did u see the low flying plane this am?

Her: Yes

Me: Did you guys get scared?

Her: A tad.