While I think it’s okay to have those casual relationships online in the world of Facebook and Twitter (I enjoy them myself), it’s vital that we keep them in their proper place. Our true living occurs in the real world, and we have to protect our “real” relationships and hold them sacred.

Obviously, that includes our spouse and children, but I think it also includes golf with buddies and sharing a beer and a joke over a BBQ grill at the in-laws house. You just can’t have that connection over Skype.

Thanks for your compliments on the 15 Minutes “initiative” that I’m sharing through the Marriage Time newsletter. I’m looking forward to talking more about that and much more on Past Due Radio with you tomorrow!

Every so often I hear of these folks that do away with cell phones and only use computers at the library. I wonder, “how do they do it?” And then I wonder, “have they figured something out that the rest of us haven’t?”

My fear is that we’re slowly unlearning how to effectively communicate with others in a real, physical way. We’re reducing emotions to acronyms (LOL) and can’t muster up the time to write “talk to you later” (TTYL). While I’ll admit that the technology at our disposal offers the ability to connect with people in a real way, no amount of technology will substitute for “doing life” with our spouse and family in person, in real time, in the highest definition.

I love your 15 Minutes initiative. 15 minutes is a long time to spend engaged with your spouse, when you actually do it. It definitely allows me to climb down from cyberspace and get back to earth.

The first suggestion that comes to my mind is to use some “tough grandma love” and simply require the grandchildren to leave their phones elsewhere when they’re at the table (or ask their parents to require this when they are at their home or out at a restaurant like your Christmastime experience).

That sends the clear message that texting during dinner is not acceptable in your house (or elsewhere), and it may actually get them to talk to each other…in person!

I would personally be very frustrated if my wife was texting her Mom while we were talking or having dinner. There’s plenty of time to keep touch with family at other times.

Thanks for the kind words!

As an example, my husband & I took our daughter and her family out for dinner around Christmas. The adults sat at one end of the table and the 3 grandkids (ages 18, 14 & 10) at the other. Part way thru dinner, all 3 kids started laughing at the same time & I realized they were texting each other while seated together.

I asked them to hold off texting until after dinner, but they obviously didn’t appreciate my interference. Do you have any ideas on how I could handle it better next time? By the way, the 10-year-old granddaughter says she sends literally hundreds of texts each day.