Jewish World Review May 19, 2002 / 8 Sivan, 5762

Lori Borgman

Lori Borgman
JWR's Pundits
World Editorial
Cartoon Showcase

Mallard Fillmore

Michael Barone
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Larry Elder
Don Feder
Suzanne Fields
James Glassman
Paul Greenberg
Bob Greene
Betsy Hart
Nat Hentoff
David Horowitz
Arianna Huffington
Jeff Jacoby
Marianne Jennings
Michael Kelly
Mort Kondracke
Ch. Krauthammer
Lawrence Kudlow
Dr. Laura
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Michelle Malkin
Chris Matthews
Michael Medved
MUGGER
Kathleen Parker
Wes Pruden
Sam Schulman
Amity Shlaes
Roger Simon
Tony Snow
Thomas Sowell
Cal Thomas
Jonathan S. Tobin
Ben Wattenberg
George Will
Bruce Williams
Walter Williams
Mort Zuckerman

Consumer Reports


Instant Messaging and LOL

http://www.NewsAndOpinion.com | I do my best to keep up with the youth culture and frankly, I think I do a pretty decent job. I can tell you right now that that skanky girl named Bethany Spears really isn't so innocent (a mother knows). I also happen to know that she is dating and/or breaking up with a young man in that popular band named In Stink.

It's hard work staying abreast of pop culture, but it is my duty as a parent much the same way it was my duty to wash my children's dirty socks and wipe their runny noses when they were younger. All of which is why I have been forcing myself to learn how to instant message on the computer.

You may remember when kids hung around living rooms with telephones glued to their ears, lounged on floors or hid in closets, having lengthy conversations with one friend at a time. Well, that is ancient history. Today, kids communicate by instant messaging, which entails going on-line, logging in with some goofy made-up name, and sending messages back and forth with 30 or 40 of their closest friends all at the same time. They use telegraphic sentences, abbreviations that stand for entire phrases and 37 variations of a yellow smiley face. Modern technology allows them to have deep and meaningful conversations like the following

daizy2cute: sup?
34pliffin: nada
daizy2cute: you?
34pliffin: saw bt at the mall w/o hc at mickey ds>

That may not seem breathtaking to someone like you, someone still scratching your head wondering who Bethany Spears is, but as a trend watcher, I can interpret those screen exchanges and tell you that an entire relationship bloomed and died over a bag of fries at McDonalds in the food court.

Confused? To better understand the nuances of instant messaging, picture a communication system that blends a functional illiterate with e.e. cummins. The basic lexicon consists of brb (be right back), gg (gotta go), bff (best friends forever), lylas (love ya like a sister) and jk (just kidding).

On the upside, many a young person has become a speed typist through the wonders of instant messaging. I peek over the shoulder of my youngest who is hammering away at the keyboard, read a few lines of what she has written and say,"It's hard to believe most states still require four years of English in order to graduate from high school when nobody uses it."

"Lol, Mom," she says. Being a trend watcher, I immediately know that lol means laughing out loud.

"Twyt, "I say.

"What?" she asks.

"Twyt - that's what you think." I say.

"Where did you get that from?" she asks.

"I made it up," I say, smiling.

"You can't just go making things like that up."

"Why not? Show me the rules to instant messaging," I say. "Better yet, show me a complete sentence. Show me punctuation and capitalization. Somebody made up those other codes, now I'm making up a few of my own I've even written them down on this index card so you can learn them."

She takes the card and begins reading them aloud: "Dyutd: Did you unload the dishwasher? Hm: How's math?

"Mom, this is crazy!"

"No, this one means crazy ," I say, pointing to pmho. "It means pulling my hair out."

"What's this one?" she sighs.

"Oh, you mean, gotcrn? It means get off the computer right now."


JWR contributor Lori Borgman is the author of I Was a Better Mother Before I Had Kids. To comment, please click here.

05/10/02: Some mothers get something more
05/03/02: I Nudge, Therefore I Am
04/25/02: Motherhood is seasonal work
04/19/02: Paper trail to college
04/12/02: What to cook or not to cook
03/31/02: Mom and Dad Break Curfew
03/22/02: Introducing P.P.M. (Partners Per Month)
03/15/02: Birth of a Pothole
03/08/02: When Enron Momma gets mad
03/01/02: Little hope for bookaholic
02/22/02: Wrestling with prejudice
02/15/02: Say What?
02/08/02: Kitchen intelligence
02/01/02: Age-old words
01/25/02: Abortion: Switching Sides
01/18/02: Kids, take note
01/11/02: The heart-stopper e-mail
01/04/02: The slightly sunny side of 2001
12/28/01: The Way Things Work
11/30/01: The Leftover Shuffle begins
11/27/01: Glasses bring age into focus
11/16/01: A different portion of Thanks
11/09/01: The Next Stage of Parenting
11/01/01: Of boys and patriotism
10/26/01: College Son the Invisible Man
10/19/01: Out of the closet ... and into the school
10/12/01: A Parent's Guide to Dating
10/05/01: "Taking Care of You"
09/28/01: Time indivisible
09/24/01: Refueling capitalism
09/14/01: A time to mourn
09/07/01: Lack of modesty stirs the troops
08/31/01: Scholarship search an education
08/24/01: The test for parents
08/17/01: Immodest proposals
08/10/01: Trying to R-r-r-re-re-relax
08/03/01: It may be shabby and chic, but it ain't cheap
07/20/01: Bride showered with sage advice
07/13/01: Baby Bear Finds Driving "Just Right"
07/06/01: Pale at the Thought of Bronze
06/29/01: A Dog's Best Friend
06/22/01: Rethinking fatherhood
06/14/01 Don't forget to lock the door
06/07/01 How grandma punishes her kids
06/01/01 Hearing voices
05/25/01 Cyborgs for Better or Worse
05/18/01 The death of Common Sense

© 2001, Lori Borgman