Dear LPG, 

I think that, now it is all but over and we can look back on the experience, when we think of the things that covid-19 and its lockdown fall out left us with, many have been pretty negative but there were some positives. 

Quite a few of us learned new skills because we were left with not a lot else to do and the one that I find myself more proficient in is the art of texting.  I truly do believe it is an art although, unlike when the youngsters text, you will never see my thumbs rolling over the keys at that twenty to the dozen speed as I stand in the queue waiting for my shopping basket to get to the checkout, no matter how long that takes.

I wonder if there are any other grandparents out there who were very close to their grandchildren until they got to their later teens.  That, in my opinion, is when their lives get so busy that there is no time for as many of those grandparent/grandchild telephone chats anymore because there is always a friend that they need to meet, a club they have to go to, some extracurricular study to be undertaken or a social media notification that needs a response. 

This is where the pandemic’s lockdown worked a little magic in my life.  Over time, and with the help of the most important button on the screen’s keyboard, the backspace button, I have learned enough to send my teenaged grandchildren the odd message from my smart phone and get replies, and if there is not time for anything else, you will be surprised just how much information can be conveyed as long as you remember to look for the reply. 

Understanding that reply might be a little more challenging than you might think though.  I have found a list or two of the latest telephone text acronyms that are getting integrated into the language of such communications and felt the need to pass on this information.  I strongly feel that we grandparents have an obligation to appear as ’cool’ as possible in this day and age… 

I have found using them has helped me to be regarded as a more ‘cool’ grandma and they really do help to cut down on all that button pressing stress that your thumbs and fingers need to undergo.

OK, Lee

OK has found some text speak abbreviations but warns that some of them include words that she would rather not include in her texts…

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