Teaching Your Kids To Text Can Give Them a Head Start

Kids In Touch Has Shutdown

We see children and teenagers texting all the time. It seems like the good-old ways of communication have gone to history. These kids can type with the speed of light, and they don’t care about grammar and punctuation. The text slang is not limited there; it overflows into social media usage, email communication, and even academic writing.

The Internet is filled with articles that warn about the dangers of various texting apps, which are not safe for all ages. Thus, it seems like parents and teachers have developed a defense mechanism against everything related to this method of communication. Is texting really that bad? Can it ruin our children’s sense of proper writing and talking? Not at all!

The Love and Logic Mantra Translated to Texting

The "Love and Logic" parenting philosophy is to raise motivated, self-confident, and creative children who will conquer the world when they grow up. With this approach, parents allow their kids to feel the responsibility of making their own decisions. We are wrong when we think that without substantial authority, our kids would take the wrong path. On the contrary; we teach them self-control and responsibility when we allow them to take their own steps and learn from them.

In 1977 I first started writing about Helicopter Parents. These parents carried the heavy burden of swooping in to rescue their kids from any mistake, disappointment, or struggle. Out of love they were crippling their children by stealing away their opportunities to gain wisdom and resilience.

What I am seeing now is much worse. This problem has almost reached epidemic proportions with parents trying to create a perfect life for their kids. Little do they know that their children won’t be able to maintain that great life if they have not prepared for it by having to deal with their own little problems early in life.

Jim Fay

With this app, parents can review the messages their children send. Parents can see what mistakes their children make, and then take the time to explain how the kids can do better. If they notice too many grammar and punctuation errors, they will know what type of education their kids lack. Slang is not necessarily bad, but it’s important for the children to understand that it’s not the most proper way of expressing thoughts and emotions.

Think about it: you are going to allow your son/daughter to use a smartphone and text at one point or another. If you’re preventing your kids from texting during early age, then the moment of revelation will come as a completely new experience to them. You won’t be able to control them when they grow up, and you’re missing the chance to teach them how to text properly if you don’t start doing it now.

Your kids need freedom, but they also need some guidance and help.

The Benefits Your Kids Get Through Texting

Why exactly should you allow your kids to text? Why should you teach them how to do that properly? Let’s go through a list of benefits that will convince you to do that.

• Texting teaches your kids to think and write more quickly. They will make tons of mistakes at first. If their phone supports an auto-correct function, some of the messages might turn out hilarious. Over time, the kids start getting comfortable with writing. They can type as quickly as they can think. As for the quality of their messages, don’t worry too much about it. Use the Kids in Touch app to monitor their writing, and teach them how to fix the mistakes. With time, they will get much better at it.
• Brevity is a great skill to master. With texting, your kids learn how to express their thoughts in the clearest way possible. At school, they might try to go around different topics when they don’t know how to answer a specific question. That’s a “skill” some teachers may even appreciate, but it’s not something to be proud of. Clear, straightforward expression is always the right approach, and texting teaches children how to master it.
• Communication is important. Thanks to technology, young students can stay in touch with their classmates during vacations. Thus, they won’t feel disconnected and awkward when they return to the classroom.
• Texts are delivered immediately. When your kids need you, they can easily use the phone to message you at any time. You’ll immediately get that text and you’ll know how to act in an urgent situation. Do we really need to talk about the advantages of immediate connection?
• Introverted children can easily communicate via texts. It’s difficult for them to talk directly to their friends and teachers, but they are able to use text messages to talk about anything.

Yes, texting does have the power to make your kids distracted. However, you can take control over the situation if you teach them how to properly use this method of communication. They will gain serious benefits through it!