Generation Z
Around 10:00 am the other day I received a text message from a number that I didn’t recognize:
Text Msg: Did you get 8 for number 10? This is Taylor.*
WTF? I had no idea what the text meant or who this person was, but I felt compelled to respond:
Me: Not sure who this is. This is Giyen.
I got no response.
45 minutes later, the whole world became crystal clear and the meaning of the mystery text was revealed. For those who may see the obvious meaning of the above text, then kudos to you. You are much savvier than I. It didn’t even cross my mind until almost an hour later.
I guess to put it all into context, this week is finals week for the local high school. FINALS WEEK. Taylor is a classmate of Paige’s. Monday just happened to be a math final. If you still don’t get it, I am afraid your teenager will eat you alive for breakfast.
Me: If you are cheating on a test, you are busted.
Taylor: Sooo busted.
I immediately called Paige to interrogate her.
Me: Are you cheating on your finals? I received a text message …BLAH BLAH BLAH..
Paige: What?? I can’t BELIEVE you would accuse ME of cheating.
Me: You’ve had track record for making questionable choices this year.
Paige: GO AHEAD AND CHECK THE TEXT MESSAGE LOGS. I DIDN’T CHEAT. YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN.
Me: I am calling the school on your friend.
Paige: You are being ridiculous. If you call the school and ruin someone’s high school career I will never, ever, forgive you. EVER. I don’t help other people to cheat.
Me: How did he get my number?
Paige: I accidentally gave him yours.
Doh.
*Obviously, Taylor is not his real name. Though we hotly debated it back in forth, my panel of trusted friends and I decided against calling the school. So at the end of the day, he was not – so busted.
*****
Please note: This is a compensated post.
Later this month, as part of a campaign sponsored by LG and BlogHer, I will be interviewing Paige and hopefully a few of her friends about texting, sexting and of course, safety around cell use. I would love to get your questions and ideas on what to ask my real live teenager - so ask away in the comment area! I know Paige will give you the low down on the topic. Or is it down low?
And to top it off, because this topic is so important for our kids and their futures, BlogHer will match LG’s donation of .50 to Dosomething.org for every comment on this post. This means Dosomething.org will get a $1.00 for each and every one. Now get to it. What are you waiting for.
This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 1st, 2010 at 8:22 pm and is filed under Daily. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Just curious– not a Mom. Why did you decide not to turn him in? I can’t imagine that it is ok to use phone at school, so he probably got busted on two counts?
Well, at the end of the day, I couldn’t prove that he actually cheated on the test. Sure, he attempted to cheat, but he clearly wasn’t getting answers from me. In the continuum of things, I thought that it was a big hornets nest to stir up for some kid who *might* have cheated. If I had known is mother, I probably would have called her, but I didn’t.
I ended it with a text message that said, “Hope you didn’t end up cheating. You’re better than that. Seriously. – Paige’s Mom.”
Cheesy, I know. Then again, I am cheesy.
Great post, love your blog. So great that you’re raising money etc
Hmm, not sure I would know what to ask a real live teenager about texting or sexting, etc. I don’t have any teenagers (yet), but my sister does (three!) and I’m intimidated as hell by them! They’re so much more…quasi-adult?…than I was at those ages. I think the first questions I would ask my own nieces & nephew are:
1. What do YOU think are some important rules regarding safe cell phone usage, and how do your ideas of what constitutes a good rule compare with the rules that your parents & teachers set for you?
2. What do you consider “sexting” (perhaps without the air quotes) and what do you consider harmless? Where do you draw the line and where do/would your parents/teachers?
3. What are your thoughts on the discrepancies between your ideas for texting/sexting boundaries and the those of adults around you?
4. Give me some examples of some compromises on rules/boundaries that you think could work for both kids and parents/teachers.
5. Since my kids are so little, they don’t have phones yet. What age do you feel is appropriate for cell phone usage? When did YOU feel you were old enough or mature enough to have a cell phone? What guidelines might you suggest to parents in regards to when their kids should have them and what restrictions they should put on them?
CraezieLady´s last [type] ..A Lesson In Culture or Save Your Dumb Jokes For Someone Who Gets Them
Dang. This is tough. I’m scared of my future teenagers already. And they’re not even in kindergarten yet. I like your cheesy response, by the way.
Here’s what I’d ask, “don’t your thumbs hurt?”. From all the texting, you know…
Maybe, do they prefer texting over phone calls? Have they ever had a serious conversation/argument with someone over text messages? How long could they go without texting? Have they ever used their cellphone to cheat in class?
You know, my husband teaches high school math (after ten years in the military) and he has a total zero tolerance for this stuff…he thinks it’s far better for a kid to fail a test and learn a lesson now, than in college – or worse, in a job where they might actually cause harm by cheating. I say good for you for intervening.
We don’t text AT ALL but our kids are still little, and we’re not tech savvy. The thought of giving my 9 year old son a cell phone is scary, honestly.
I would NOT give my kids unlimited texting. I think I’d give them like 500 messages per month and if they go over, they’d have to pay for it. That way, hopefully they actually use their texts on things that matter … and hopefully it wouldn’t be sexting.
Amanda´s last [type] ..5 things to expect after the first Midwestern snowfall … aside from absolute chaos
I think your self-described “cheesy” final text isn’t cheesy at all. It was perfect.
Keenie Beanie´s last [type] ..Color my world
I completely agree with KeenieBeanie. Not cheesy. Perfectly put to him from a teen’s mom. I don’t really have a question about texting/sexting. sorry, I just want to “preach” the point that karma really is a bitch. My 20 year old learned the hard way…it doesn’t matter who, what, where the circumstances are — if you put yourself out there with any kind of sexting ESPECIALLY with pictures — it WILL come back to haunt you at some point. It is NOT a question of if…it is when. Just think once, twice, three times, realllllly long and hard before you sext and figure out some other way of communicating or something.
Wow, great topic. My step daughter is 10. I probably will not have any say about when or if she gets a cell phone. How strict are classrooms about cell phone use? It’s not like teachers can pat you down before a test. Makes the phrase “I’d like to phone a friend, Regis” a lot more meaningful.
I agree, I would love to hear what Paige thinks is the appropriate age to get a cell phone.
Sonoma Bento´s last [type] ..Salad Nicoise Bento
Here’s something I’m dying to know, seeing as how I’m about to start an enterprise that capitalizes on text and “lolspeak” — why don’t some teens differentiate between acceptable writing for school and acceptable writing for texts? Do some teens actually believe it’s really “til” rather than “until”?
When I was in middle and high school, beepers — and beeper codes — were all the rage, so I can’t really relate to the concept of texting with cell phones all the time. We had to figure out what different strings of numbers meant. What’s the intrigue about texting? Honestly, I hate it. I’m sure I’d like it better if I had a phone with a QWERTY keypad, but pressing a number several times just to get one number? Blech! I’d rather just call.
Wooooow. My teacher senses just got all tingly. You know, I have as many problems with adults as I do students. Sad.
I’d like to know if Paige or any of her friends use that high-pitched ringtone that you can’t hear if you’re over 30. It fascinates me.
Jen L.´s last [type] ..Tis the season
I hope more people comment on here. I think you did the right thing and couldn’t of done more. Have a great holiday!