Sending Mum's text messages

[chestnutflower]

I know I need to teach my Mum to text but anyway

My Mum is in her late 50's and rubbish with technology, she can call people on her phone and send short text messages and look at her online banking and the weather forecast but that's about it.

I'm in my early 20's and still live at home with my parents so whenever my Mum wants to send more than a short text message she asks me to send it for her, so she'll tell me what to put and I'll send the text for her. I really need to teach her how to text don't I? I eventually at some point will want to move out from my parents and what will my Mum do then?

I was going to say definitely literacy issue from what you’ve put. Can you read her list? Does she address envelopes ok? My grandma who left school at 12 had some reading/writing could only write printing capitals. So she could write a list but only in Caps.

@chestnutflower just read your posts. Your mum's upbringing sounds like mine. It's no excuse. I'm older than her and would be very embarrassed if my children had to do any technological things for me.

No I can read her list, her handwriting is neat and she addresses envelopes fine

If she can use an online bank app, she can send a longer text, even if it takes longer and has to concentrate more. I'm 56 and the Internet has literally opened up my world
Perhaps she needs reassurance that she's more than capable?
I'd back off, and tell her to practise

Is she struggling to see the text clearly? She may find it easier on a phone with a larger screen.

My 77yo mum can type any length of text and she has beautiful long nails. She has an Android too, so it's more confusing than an iPhone or regular simple mobile phone! Age is not the real reason here, it's laziness.

My mum was well into her 90s and texting up until last year when she got dementia. The only thing that confused her was one day her phone changed to the predictive text option and she couldn't understand what had happened. Poor old thing!

With your mum is it how to remember things like spacing and capitals and numerals, that sort of thing?

Your mum may have dyslexia or trouble with spelling or lacking in confidence - but so do a lot of ppl who manage to text!

But really she's same age as many of us and we think it's our parents that are old and need help with technology not ppl our age!!!

Show your mum how to text and then say you can do it mum now

Tell her to use speech to text or the voicemail part of her iPhone if she prefers - you can show her once

Really this is crazy that she needs a secretary (you!) to type her texts out. She doesn't need to be dependent on you for such a simple thing