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Should I start messaging instead of phoning?

(106 Posts)
keepingquiet Sun 29-Jun-25 19:33:26

Elowen33

She has said that she is more used to texting so obviously prefers that way of communicating, If it were me I would use text and leave it up to her if she wants to call, you have said that the calls are becoming strained, you dont want them to get worse.

No I don't want them to get worse. I think I may just wait until she rings me or I can condense some rather complex things into a text- then I fear she may block me, lol!

Debbi58 Sun 29-Jun-25 19:30:31

I hardly speak to anyone on the phone these days . My Mum is very hard of hearing , so no point in ringing her . We text instead. My daughter , 32, never rings for a chat . It's all text messages

Greenfinch Sun 29-Jun-25 19:15:39

My DD much prefers using WhatsApp to phoning and I tend to feel the same. That way we can send short messages to each other throughout the day or not as we feel inclined. We do not need long conversations. I can update her with family news as it happens and she can tell me about the grandchildren if she so wishes.It works well for us and avoids longer phone calls at what could be inconvenient times. I like daily contact even though it is sometimes very brief.

Grammaretto Sun 29-Jun-25 19:12:25

I'm with you keepingquiet. I think it's a generation thing. I try to speak to my 4 about once a week but apart from my DS in NZ, the calls tend to be quite short. I need to hear their voices.

We have a family WhatsApp group which someone will add to several times a day; photos, videos, a shared joke, some football references etc.

But texting lacks the full meaning and occasionally someone gets upset and thinks they are being ridiculed.
Families eh? 😉

Elowen33 Sun 29-Jun-25 19:08:12

She has said that she is more used to texting so obviously prefers that way of communicating, If it were me I would use text and leave it up to her if she wants to call, you have said that the calls are becoming strained, you dont want them to get worse.

keepingquiet Sun 29-Jun-25 18:54:07

I have a good relationship with my DD- who lives a fair distance away so we see each other about every two months or so.
In between we have developed a routine of talking on the phone twice a week usually once in the week she rings me and then at the weekend I ring her. We've been doing this for a couple of years.
Recently she told me that I am the only person she speaks to on the phone- she is far more used to texting and sometimes we text each other for practical purposes too, but the messages are short and to the point.
I have always enjoyed chatting to people on the phone, and will choose it over texting as you get the information you need much more quickly but I also enjoy having conversations.
However, I have noticed a tendency in my DD to seem as if talking on the phone to me is becoming more of a chore. I know she is busy but after some recent exchanges I do feel as if she doesn't really want to talk that much and sometimes the conversations are strained. I usually end the call and feel uneasy, as I have done today.
It feels as if she doesn't want to be bothered and it is making me wonder if I should just wait until she rings me once a week. Today I mentioned something she admitted to knowing nothing about, as if I should have told her before, but the calls are often not long enough for me to tell her all the family news etc and I don't want her to feel left out.
I'm just wondering if she would rather send text messages even though I never use them for conversations?
Do others use texting for long exchanges or should I just stick to my phone calls and ignore what is becoming an attitude?
I'm aware this is long and possibly trivial but I don't want to stress her out if she's finding these phone calls difficult.
Any advice here appreciated thanks.