Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

I've been messing with everyone by text

199 replies

Stiles · 02/02/2021 17:38

By not putting an X at the end of messages. Sometimes I go the full hog and put a full stop.

So far my dad wants to know if he's upset me and my teen came down to ask if he's in trouble. 😂

I usually chat online to mainly Americans and it's not the done thing with them so thought I'd drop it completely as it's a bit daft. British people are not ready for this. Grin

OP posts:
youvegottenminuteslynn · 02/02/2021 21:38

The text like this that most makes my stomach lurch is "It's fine."

If you receive this. It's absolutely not fine.

LastStarFighter · 02/02/2021 21:38

Confusedso this is how I find out, not only that I have been unintentionally offending people for years, but also why so many people have been unexpectedly familiar in their communications

donewithitalltodayandxmas · 02/02/2021 21:41

I hardly ever put xx at the end

Nonamesavail · 02/02/2021 21:45

@magicstar1

I was in a group and the leader put a x at the end of every sentence, and sometimes in the middle.

It would be like this x It used to wreck my head x I had to block her from texting me x as I couldn’t take it at more x

I think that was me! Blush
Nunoftheother · 02/02/2021 21:49

@LadyMonicaBaddingham

Kissy x's are nearly as irritating as the frequent misplaced and inappropriate 'lol' in the middle of an SMS
In the entire history of mobile phones, people who use "lol" have never written anything remotely funny.
lookingformyleopard · 02/02/2021 21:50

@LastStarFighter me too!

Hawkins001 · 02/02/2021 21:53

With me, I've usually been using x or xxx but I try to do it with all so if anyone's partner reads it, I can say I usually put that on all my reponses, (not that I'm having an affair, ) just read to many threads where people see x from someone and assume x

supersop60 · 02/02/2021 22:07

@Love2cycle

OP, thats brilliant. I think im gonna try it too! It is odd isn't it. We dont air kiss each other after each sentence when we chat IRL. I thought somw of friends in Europe were offish with me, until one of them asked why I put an x at the end. I didnt realky know how to desribe it, its just something we do. Ill let u know how it goes OP!!
Chuckling at the thought of air kissing at the end of every spoken sentence. I'm going to do it.
ClinkyMonkey · 02/02/2021 22:08

DP and I don’t put an x at the end of texts to.each other. I do use them when texting his sisters, but not his brother, although I do use them when texting his brother’s DP. I don’t use them with my own brother, but I do with his wife. I also use them with my friends. I don’t stick one at the end of a message just because the other person has. I mean, some people have stuck an x on there and I only know them to say ‘hello’ to because their DC is friends with my DC and we only texted (pre Covid) to make arrangements. It’s very complicated. I think I might need a lie down.

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 02/02/2021 22:17

What fresh hell is this about full stops?

How long has it been a 'thing'
I just assumed the teen was being lazy

Radglags · 02/02/2021 22:27

I don’t use x in any messages and everyone I know is in my phone by their full name, including my parents and grandparents.
Apparently I’m cold. Grin

Sarcobaleno · 02/02/2021 23:14

@Mamette

If you want to be deliberately vague and annoy people, end the text with a comma

They don’t know whether you’ve pressed send by accident,

That has made me really laugh,
grapewine · 02/02/2021 23:22

@doublenotdobble

I just got an email (business) signed off from a new contact with an x. Felt a bit weird!!!
That's just unprofessional to me. This thread is making me feel very old. I use punctuation all the time.
EBearhug · 03/02/2021 00:40

The most disturbing work mail I had was from my manager, ending, "love Daddy.xxx" His daughter shares my first name and after that, he learnt to double check his autofill picked up the right one of us.

It would be weird getting a work mail ending in x, especially as I am the only woman in the department. Also, we're spread over a number of countries and a good number don't have English as their first language. I did have one woman from another department instant messaging me about some problem, and instead of just saying thank you, I got love heart and kiss emojis. I replied to ask her not to, as it would be seen as unprofessional by some people in the business (I didn't add, "including me, you over-familiar weirdo!" but I thought it.)

My views on unnecessary punctuation in terms of !!! or ??? are well known to my colleagues. There is almost no circumstance where you need more than a single one. Similarly, they are fully aware of my views on the acceptability of moving emojis. (They're not acceptable, just bloody annoying jumpy things which are distracting on the screen, and they may not send me any.)

I have communication preferences, and my colleagues know it. They do still speak to me, though (and use email and IM and so on.) I don't care if they hate me for it. Grin

GreenSlide · 03/02/2021 01:09

@Weirdfan

I struggle to not put kisses on here even though I know how severely it would be frowned upon so hats off to you OP! I'm currently conversing by text with my elderly NDN's son (NDN is needing some support) and it's physically paining me to end messages with full stops but kisses would be wildly inappropriate Blush

That's what the smiley face emoji is for. When a full stop is too severe but a kiss is too friendly!

Weirdfan · 03/02/2021 01:22

Still a bit inappropriate when we're discussing his dads failing health unfortunately GreenSlide, I have made good use of the 😕 one today though Smile

Love2cycle · 03/02/2021 06:27

I accidently put 'love mum xxx' at the end of a text to my younger make boss.

MinnieMountain · 03/02/2021 07:14

I only use xx for very good friends. And not for one as she doesn’t seem like that sort of person.

The thing that surprises me is the number of business emails ended “kind regards” rather than “regards”. It seems over-familiar.

Cattitudes · 03/02/2021 07:36

Full punctuation and no kisses here. If you are a friend I might use a contraction. Spend my life correcting punctuation and grammar, I can't be reproducing it myself. See, I used a contraction, You're my friend.

Cattitudes · 03/02/2021 07:36

*you're!

EBearhug · 03/02/2021 08:21

The thing that surprises me is the number of business emails ended “kind regards” rather than “regards”. It seems over-familiar.

And often on a mail which is anything but kind... but it's better than "kr".

AlwaysLatte · 03/02/2021 12:09

@wroxie yes she has a blueberry facial - they lather the stuff on and massage it around a bit. It's a thing, I didn't realise until they offered it!

amusedbush · 03/02/2021 12:18

My brother was texting me and his fiancée at the same time and he ended a message to me with xxxxxxxx, then immediately texted xx* to correct the amount of love he gave me Grin

Ihatefish · 03/02/2021 17:19

This is the written equivalent of smiling at people on the tube.

PoochiePlush · 03/02/2021 17:22

@Love2cycle

I hate it when i forget a question mark at end of message. The message looks rude without it, but if i follow up with a singke question mark it looks like im hassling for an answer
Hahaha yes!! I think this too