When Parents Text: So Much Said...So Little Understood

When Parents Text, by twenty-somethings Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Friaioli, is a collection of text messages culled from their site whenparentstext.com. As the title suggests, the texts included are communications between parents and children, and they tend to highlight the divide between the texting generation and their less with-it parents. Reading the texts I was initially disappointed because they're not laugh-out-loud funny in the way that the texts featured on damnyouautocorrect.com are. I didn't laugh out loud once reading When Parents Text, but I did smile: reading more I realized that if these aren't drop dead funny they are awfully sweet. The picture they paint of contemporary familial relations is a very heartening one. So I've come away from the book happy about that and also amused that I'm not the only dorky parent out there embarrassing my kids (often on purpose). Here are a few choice examples from the book:---Dad: Lake Whitney is covered with pelicans.Me: That's great, but you do know that now 50% of your all-time texts to me are about pelicans.Dad: And? I like pelicans. 66%---Mom: Hey! Check out the birthday greeting I put up on your brother's FB!Me: Okay.Me: It just says, "Happy birthday!"Mom: Yeah. I thought it would be nice.---Dad: How are you feeling?Me: Not great. Throat hurts.Dad: Sorry. Drink more emergencyMe: I'm doing everything I can. Nasal spray, cough drops, oral decongestant, vitamin c...Dad: That a girl. I am very proud of youMe: For using nasal spray?Dad: Everything

I was looking for a funny book that could be read in snippets if necessary. Because reading in snippets is how I do my reading these days . . . with two children and a husband who acts like one.So, I guess that makes me the parent e.g. the ridiculous buffoon that doesn't know how to text. Doesn't know cool lingo. Doesn't know what text abbreviations stand for. Yep . . . that sounds about right, especially according to my 12 year-old daughter. But what I do know is this is one entertaining book. I giggled my way through it like a school girl.Here are some of my favorites:DAD: I'm not sure, but I think I just accidentally divorced your Mom on Facebook . . . I'll keep you updated.ME: (silence)MOM: why is your father married to his sister on Facebook?VOICE ACTIVATION:MOM: milk orange juice fruit veggies creamerif it's on sale. Soup. Forget the soup I justsneezed and it thought I said soup. #####, #####.I just said the f word. And the s word. And it typesPound Sign! My phone's a train. No it's not a trainit's a pretty easy day. No it's not a pretty easy day Inever said that. I said my phone is a prude.But that's just a teaser; there were plenty more that were worthy of a LOL. If you don't believe me, read it yourself. I bet you can't laugh at just one.

I got this free (I think) or deal of the day from Amazon and have savored it in short bursts--doctor's office, waiting for shuttles and on short flights.As a grandmother-who-texts, I laughed aloud or I totally didn't get it. There's a few I will ask about at the next family gathering.I remember struggling with texting in the beginning and blush at the memory of some of the strange ways "spellcheck" changed what I intended.I don't know if all the stories came from whenparentstext.com or if some were saved for the book, but it's a nice light-hearted change--especially during long waits at the medical center.I will be reading it again, and maybe next time I will have grown up enough to understand the parts I didn't understand before.Follow them on Facebook to revisit favorites and get the newest ones.And I don't care if I got strange looks for laughing out loud in public

Obviously, this is not a piece of great literature, but if you are looking for an amusing, light read with a lot of laughs... you're in luck. It may also help to be either the sender of parental texts (which I am), or the receiver (which my daughter is). While so many of the texts were not necessarily LOL material in and of themselves, I related to many of them and found myself sitting alone in a dim room at the eye doctor's, giggling uncontrollably. It was a great way to spend the 45 minute wait.Warning, this is one of those books you will find yourself reading out loud to innocent bystanders.

Not exactly what I expected, but it is still fun. I assumed it’d be like a DYAC book, but it has a lot more variety of texting stories. A lot of them are sweet, adding an unexpected bit of heart.I think this is a fun book, just don’t expect to be falling out of your chair with laughter like you might with other popular texting websites.

I happened to pick this gem up on an Amazon Daily Deal, after reading the description I thought, WTH, and grabbed it. I laughed so much reading this, my husband thought it was funny, even though he didn't want to admit it he couldn't hide the smile, and it was a fast read. Everything wasn't hysterical of course, and the first few sections were my favorite. I had not ever heard of the website prior to this, but I'm not surprised that there is one. Anyway this was a very entertaining read and you'll fly right through it, then you'll probably feel like sharing some of your favorites.

"When Parents Text" is an amusing collection of actual text messages sent by parents and grandparents with unintentionally funny results. The formatting is OK on the Kindle and is usually very obvious what the gaff was, whether is the misuse of emoticons or "auto-corrected" words (caution, some are not safe for younger readers). This good size collection is mostly on target and funny but there are a few that fall a little flat, as might be expected.This makes a very good light reading when traveling!Recommended!CFH

It is a American book so some of it I didn't understand, but it was funny, well worth buying as a small Christmas gift / stocking filler / toilet book! :-)

Very good book, would recommend.

good for a laugh