It goes without saying that texting while driving is against the law, with good reason.  But I have some other concerns about texting in other situations.  Here are some of my observations.

I am appalled when I see a couple walking and texting while pushing their child in a stroller.  It makes me wonder if they text while pushing their toddler in a swing when they get to the park.  I  witnessed this a few months ago and it made me feel sad.  A mother and father were texting, separately, not even talking with one another as they walked to a nearby park with their child.  After that, I seemed to see it more and more.  

Why is this behavior so ubiquitous?  What happened to just focusing on the here and now without having the compulsion to interact in this way?  When texting becomes a focal point, what does this do to the experience at hand?

And it is dangerous, to say the least.  I have observed people not paying attention enough to be aware of the traffic around them.  In numerous online sources, I found that there is a significant increase in pedestrian accidents for people who text while walking.  It is just logical that it is more dangerous to walk outside while distracted in this way.  But it is a much more serious source of concern when pushing a stroller.  How could people live with themselves if something happened to any child in their care while engaging in this behavior?  

To me, texting is something I do out of necessity.  Young people, especially, prefer texting to phone calls.  It has become a part of my communication now, if I want to be in touch with my grandchildren.  Even I find it useful,  if I need to let people know things, such as, “I’m running late.” or just to ask or answer a simple question.  But it can never give me the satisfaction of hearing a familiar voice on a telephone call.  And, of course being in person, talking face to face, is the best experience of all.

I know that I may seem old-fashioned, but I don’t care if others think so.  What I have discovered is this: I don’t want to spend my limited time on virtual experiences.  I want to see your face when I talk to you.  And if that is not possible, I want to hear your voice.  Texting is at the bottom of my modes of communication.  It’s as simple as that!