Back in the day, millennials had to use various letters and signs to create their emojis. This was a creative and brave exploration of combining language with artful communication. Many of us remember the time when ‘:-p’ meant sticking your tongue out and ‘:-o’ meant you were surprised.
Parents have sort of skipped that generation and gone straight to today’s graphic, done-for-you emojis. Many of them don’t know how to activate and use these, which is what sets the stage for this funny exchange.
Don't You Forget About Me
We owe a lot to our mothers. At the very least, they carried us around for nine months and brought us into the world.
So you can't blame this mom for wanting to remind her kid of that very fact every now and then. Talk about a life lesson!
Drunk Text
If you haven't seen your folks in a while, it's always a nice idea to send them a picture. It seems that this kid had the same idea.
Unfortunately, the kind gesture became the butt of a (rather funny) dad joke. Don't worry kid; it's happened to the best of us!
On Repeat
PSA: Call or message your parents back! Our lives get so busy that it's easy to leave our parents on read.
It'll only take a couple of minutes (or hours, depending on how chatty your parents are) to catch up and let them know you're doing well. Crossing my fingers that this parent got a message back!
Formal Communication
Gone are the days when all communication was letter bound! With the technological revolution that is instant messaging, be it on our phones or laptops, there is no longer a need to sign your name after each message you send.
This convenient fact, however, hasn't reached everyone. We sort of still hope that the next message this parent sent included their name, even if it was just to get on their kid's nerves.
Dough-nt Confuse Him
It seems like Libby's dad needs to catch up on the latest "lingo (another word for a particular jargon)."
In this dad's defense, "get this bread" isn't exactly an easy phrase to decode. Well, guess you do learn something new every day! Even if it's just the word "lingo."
Killed It!
It's easy to forget at times that our parents may not understand some of the slang terms we use. This seems to be what happened with this kid and their mom.
Now that this mom has learned a new phrase, we're pretty sure "killed it" is going to pop up in her future messages.
Sibling Switch
Anyone with siblings will be able to relate to a parent mixing up their children. Luckily for Selma (and for us), she was able to catch her parent doing so in writing.
We have a feeling that ice cream was on the parents this time.
Bush Burger
Autocorrect. The spelling tool we all love to hate and hate to love. Without it, we wouldn't get gems like this conversation about Burger King, or "Bushes King," according to this mother's autocorrect.
Ah, but it didn't stop there! Somehow autocorrect thought that "I an going to horn the shower now" made sense. Let's just hope that the two were eventually able to understand one another and share a "meat in a roll" meal at Burger King.
Stating the Obvious
You have to appreciate that Melissa's father wanted to let her know not only who the text was from but what device it was from as well.
Why Melissa's dad thought this information was important, we'll never know. What we do know is this father's text fumble couldn't be more adorable!
Emotional Emojis
This message is certainly cuter than it is cringe-inducing! If emojis could talk (and had feelings) we're sure they would thank this loving mother for including them in her texts.
This kid is lucky to have such a wonderful caring mother. If she cares about emojis this much, we can only imagine how she cares about her family.
Shared Genes
You have to feel a little sorry for this father. He had to have been disappointed that instead of getting a gift from his daughter, he just got the realization that he misunderstood her message.
An easy fix for this mess would be for Nicole to order another coat, maybe a few sizes bigger for her dad. Awkwardness averted!
March Madness
Who knew that March was a month worth celebrating? Seems like this dad did!
We do have a sneaky suspicion that this dad just wanted a reason to chat with his daughter. We're not crying; you're crying!
Polite Dinner Conversation
We can only imagine what dinner conversation (and what dinner drinks) prompted this cringy question from Megan's mom.
The fact that her mom included "LMAO" makes this motherly message even more hilarious! We're sure they had a lot to talk about during dessert.
Look Both Ways
No matter how old we get, our mothers will always worry about us. Even if it means worrying about what can happen to us during a quick walk down the street.
Kids have to leave the nest at some point, and with that, moms have to learn to let their kids fly. Even if it's just 10ft!
Great!
Firstly we're impressed that this mom knows how to send a GIPHY! Secondly, we're impressed by just how "gr8" her choice of GIPHY is.
Say what you want, but at least she's trying to connect with her kid, even if the lingo is a little outdated.
Emoji Explanation Needed
This kid has a lot of explaining ahead of her. Trying to get your parents to understand basic texting is one thing, but explaining emojis (a pictogram you can send instead of words) is a whole other challenge.
Both mother and daughter will need a lot of time, patience, and heart emojis to get through this.
What's in a Name?
Band names are notorious for being random and not having anything to do with music. So we can't really fault this mom for not being completely clued up on TwentyOne Pilots, the band.
Sure, a concert is great and all, but it's not every day you see twenty-one real pilots. Now that's a show we'd like to see!
The Glue of the Family
Sound the alarm! It's another dad joke. Just as this unfortunate recipient learned, dad jokes are everywhere. You'll hear them in your house, on your way to school, and now even on your phone!
I think we speak for everyone when we say that this dad should have stopped at "You can tuna piano, but you can't piano a tuna." The glue part of the joke just didn't stick the landing!
Mixed Messages
Wow... where do we even begin to unpack these messages? What we find particularly funny is how the texts appear to escalate in the craziness and then come right back down to earth with a hearty Christmas question. What a roller coaster ride!
From the lack of replies, we assume that isn't her kid's first rodeo when it comes to this mother's eclectic messaging style.
Translator Needed
We wonder if this miscommunication between father and child was all due to typos, autocorrect, or a dad trying to be funny. Either way, these messages make little sense.
However, we could all take a class in confidence from this father. The way he stuck to his guns about his mysterious messages is certainly one way to back yourself!
Dad's Dating Advice
An important part of parenting is helping your kids navigate through the weird and wonderful world of love. This kid was just reaching out for some fatherly advice but didn't exactly get what he was looking for.
Instead, he got his dad's sarcastic suggestion. Not very helpful! We can only hope that this kid eventually figured out a way to talk to girls that didn't involve a bucket of glitter.
A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words
We're all about being comfortable around your family, but there are just some things that your kids should never see! Sexy pictures between you and your spouse are one of them.
There's no doubt that this dad will get a stern talking-to from his wife. The topic? How to delete images before giving your kid your old phone. It's common sense, people!
Guilt Trip
Oof, what started out as an average message turned into a fatherly lecture about the importance of family. Not to mention that this dad casually tried to bring his death into the conversation. That's certainly a terrible tactic to get your kids to reunite.
Talk about guilt-tripping! Maybe they ought to take inspiration from "Frozen" and "let it go!"
Freudian Slip
While parents have unconditional love for their children, it doesn't mean they can't get annoyed by their offspring from time to time.
This dad made a pretty common texting error; he sent a message to the wrong person. What's less common is your child getting a glimpse of the not-so-loving nickname you call them with your spouse.
Gaslighting 101
Someone get this dad a medal. He somehow managed to squeeze not one but two dad jokes into this very short text conversation with his kid.
The second joke understandably would make any kid want to move out of the house STAT. Hit the gas, kid, and get out of there!
It's a Sure Thing
This dedicated dad was just trying to get his kid the right deodorant. Now we aren't entirely... sure... if this is a dad joke or a genuine text misunderstanding. Either way, it's hilarious!
Let's hope that his kid got the deodorant he was after and that his body odor woes were sorted!
Joint Confusion
My my, how the tables have turned! It seems like this kid caught her dad out instead of the other way around.
This father's failure to pick up on a typo aired out his smoking secret. It seems as if our parents may not be as squeaky clean as we think they are!
WTF?
Like oil and water, parents and text acronyms just don't mix. This mom is no exception to the rule.
Sure WTF could stand for the days of the week, but it doesn't. It stands for a phrase that's far less polite! At least we know that this mom wasn't cussing out her kid. Instead, she was just wondering when she'd see him next.
Call Rejected
Ouch! This one hurt to read. Those of us with siblings surely know that feeling of jealousy when our brother or sister gets the thing that we want.
This dad's way of messaging definitely made it seem that his son was about to get a new phone. The only thing worse for this kid is knowing that his sister is getting the gift instead. That's sure to spark some sibling rivalry!
Google It!
Parents always think the most of their children. This mom clearly took it to the next level. She had so much faith in her son that she thought he was in control of Google.
We definitely think this kid could've used this misunderstanding to their advantage for a little longer! With luck, this momma-bear has come to accept the changing Google logo because her kid sadly has no say in stopping it.
Doug a Hole
Ah, autocorrect strikes again. This time the word mix-up likely gave Melissa's mom a mini-heart attack. All Melissa was trying to tell her mom was that she was bringing her friend Doug to Christmas dinner and not...well...Christmas party favors!
It seems that Melissa's mom either didn't understand that autocorrect is to blame or she really doesn't trust her daughter! Hopefully, the Christmas dinner cured any confusion.
Spicemom
If you wanna be my lover, you gotta get with my... mom! And we have a feeling that the mom in this text exchange is pretty easy to get with.
Playing along with her daughter and their apparent love for the Spice Girls, this mother-daughter duo makes us want to join whatever pizza dinner they're having tonight.
Chef Dad
When people are having a hard time falling asleep, they often try to read, meditate, or do another low-effort, calming activity. Not this dad, though. When he got a little case of insomnia, he figured he might as well be productive and make himself useful.
He went into the kitchen and got cooking, which, honestly, sounds like a dream. The only thing we can't understand is why this kid right here keeps asking questions instead of going downstairs to munch on these lightly fried fish fillets.
Throwing Punchlines
We are the last people to encourage violence, but we can totally understand this dad's point. No one will fight for this son better than his dad will, but it's good to know he can fend for himself when his dad is not around.
And while we appreciate the vigor here, it does seem like Dad here could use a session or two of anger management.
Parenting Done Right
Let's face it, not all parents would have reacted like this to their kid getting detention, but we think this mom had the best response ever. To be fair, it is absolutely ridiculous to have your teacher call you an idiot, even if it is indirectly. So, this kid reacted accordingly, which was not only hilarious but right. Fortunately, their mom knew it too.
Besides, how will you ground your kid after making you and your entire office laugh with their wit?! Totally ungrounded!
Mom vs. Technology
It's incredibly frustrating when you buy a new phone just to find out it's been programmed in an unintelligible language. But when your mom's default text language gets stuck in Chinese, it's just downright hilarious. This mom seems to be losing her patience and resorting to exclamation marks to communicate.
However, judging by this kid's response, they seem to be enjoying this way too much to help her out anytime soon.
Emoji Fail
We can definitely understand why this mom would think the poop emoji is a little chocolate kiss with eyes. After all, it does look incredibly similar to Hershey's delicious chocolate kisses. Still, we're happy her kid set her straight.
We can't imagine it being a good thing to have Mumma bear send poop emojis to everybody she knows.
When Autocorrect Is Not Your Friend
This is one very funny example of when autocorrect just doesn't help you at all. It's quite worrying to think that your mom peed in her pants, but the shock passes quickly once you realize what she actually meant to write.
Apparently, mom learned how to sew her own clothes but not how to master the phone's autocorrect feature. One step at a time, mom.
LOL
Somebody should really just make a cheat sheet for parents when it comes to text message slang. It seems that this mom chose the worst possible moment to use "lol" Fortunately, David set his mom straight before she kept sending that message to anybody else!
You can't really blame her, though. It makes a lot of sense to think it means "lots of love." We just hope all the people she called back weren't too offended!
The Easter Bunny
It's bad enough to hit a poor bunny by accident, only to then have your mother tell you you killed Easter! On the other hand, you have to appreciate this mom's dark humor. We sure do.
Nothing like mothers; they always manage to somehow lighten up a bad situation, even if it's by making it worse sometimes. Don't worry, Courtney; we know it wasn't on purpose.
The Different Butts
We get Elizabeth. It's hard to resist the temptation of laughing at your mom when she can't stop typing the word "Butt" and somehow thinks you had something to do with it. Because, of course, moms always seem to think their kids have a universal remote control with which they control their phones from afar. No, moms, we don't.
We wonder how much time it took Elizabeth to tell her om all she had to do was disable the autocomplete feature.
The Nosy Cat
This is definitely one of our favorite texts from this list. Just look at how that brilliant mom manages to be nosy in a very subtle and cute way.
Without looking hysterical, she uses the adorable and oh-so-judgmental eyes of the cat to ask why in the hell her kid has condoms in their laundry. Genius.
Johnny Depp's Butt
Aside from the fact that it is hysterically funny to get a message like this from your mother, it is actually a completely legitimate question. Not to mention considerate with dad.
And hey, moms work hard; they deserve to see a picture of Johnny Depp's butt without being judged.
Semantics
Here this kid was trying to figure out what time he was born when mom just decided to be cheeky and throw in a gender joke. Nice one, mom.
To be fair, mom did answer the question correctly. Next time, reread your messages before pushing 'send', kid!
Anything to Get Her to Call
This mom is determined to get her daughter to call, no matter what. If telling her that she has a missed call, that her sisters had a rough day, or that she and her husband are having a pot roast for dinner isn't enough, certainly a hernia will do the trick.
Mothers... knowing how to get what they want since the dawn of time.
Technology Meltdown
Come on, Andy, everybody knows that you should answer your mom after the third time she texts you your name in under 3 seconds. Why? Because she won't stop until you answer. Then again, answering this, mom doesn't seem to be getting Andy anywhere.
First, he comes off as a 'grumpus'. Then, he gets a lecture on how phones work. And finally, as he tries to explain to his mom that texts work as a mini-email, everything seems to backfire after his mom asks for his email address. Never mind, Andy. Just answer the first time she texts.
Burn!
We have to say that we love this mom. And to be fair, those dots are the only thing the kid could have replied because that was a successful burn if we ever read one.
This mom isn't taking any sass from her teenage son, and we applaud it.
When Mom's Jokes are Worse Than Dad's
Dads are famous for bad jokes, but judging by this message, moms know their comedy too. You have to admit, though, it is kind of hilarious in a very mom kind of way.
And to be honest, that seems to be a very modern mom, since she's not only heard the word "crackalaking", she used "lol" too! Still, we get the kid's response; it's all way too embarrassing when your mom tries to be cool.
Matchmaker in the Dog Park
There are few things more annoying in this world than to have your mother try and find you a boyfriend. But to have your Jewish mother go to the dog park and send you pics of prospective husbands is just too hilarious. Apparently, this mom has been going to the dog park for a while now, and up until this message, her kid didn't know why.
Our question is, what did this woman pretend she was doing every time since clearly, she doesn't even own a dog?!
Adopting the Lingo
Kids start using their parents as mimicking targets well before they can explain what exactly they are reenacting. You see this in kids pretending to be their mothers and fathers without having almost any understanding of what the heck they’re doing. Adults have also adopted that behavior in recent years and pretend to speak the lingo of the younger generation.
While this often results in extremely embarrassing exchanges between parents and kids, it seems to have worked this time. Too bad Mom doesn’t have any idea what she’s actually saying.
That’s Good to Know
Sometimes parents like to remind their kids just how much they care about them. This is an important habit, as we can’t just assume that others know how much we love them.
This father went the exact opposite route and made sure to remind his daughter that he doesn’t miss her at all. Hopefully, this was just a joke on good terms.
When Parents Go Nuts
Parents are not exactly the most talented people when it comes to using emojis. With today’s graphic emojis, even fewer people know how to use classic text signs to get their point across. This mother apparently thought that ‘<3’ means ice cream, which is not hard to figure out why.
The resulting exchange must have involved many weird and uncomfortable thoughts. Perhaps instead of going to get an ice cream cone, it would be a good time to set your kids up with some psychological counseling.
That’s Good to Know
Text messages are a somewhat limited format and often cause many troubles due to misspellings or accidentally sent messages. This kid told his parents he was gay by accident and luckily found out that his parents are tolerant and loving. Unfortunately, he also found out that they were sure he was gay all along, which might do a number on his ego and self-image.
The mother responded in the best possible way when confronted by her son because everyone knows that “LOL” is the best way to help your child avoid years of psychological therapy.
Auto Text Has Gone Haywire
One cool feature in mobile phones is the ability to turn on a 'Do Not Disturb' mode. This feature allows you to block all incoming calls and automatically send their respective numbers a custom message, explaining that you’re not available to answer. This Dad probably set his automatic response message to “In a meeting”, which could explain this weird sequence of identical messages.
We fail to understand how someone can send the exact same message so many times in any other way. Perhaps the kid’s father just really didn’t want to talk.
When Dissing Your Parents Backfires
Some children feel free to berate and criticize their parents. These kids have usually been raised as disrespectful teens and tend to show their frustrations quite vocally. What most teenagers forget, though, is that their parents have been around for much, much longer than they have. This cumulative experience sometimes manifests itself as jokes and comebacks so deep that they’re on a completely different level.
While some parents are absolutely clueless, there are those that will respond to a challenge by proceeding to drop the mic, leaving you alone to dry.
That’s Not a Winking Face...
Parents sometimes have a certain inability to successfully adopt emojis. At best, the most tech-savvy mothers and fathers usually get as far as learning how to occasionally use the smiley emoji with only a few errors.
This exchange shows you exactly why parents should avoid using emojis, as they have a much larger risk of embarrassing themselves than actually looking cool.
Basic Logic 101
While some parents feel that they can’t really talk to their children, there are many kids who feel the same way about their parents. Usually, one of the two thinks and talks more emotionally, while the other uses logic to make sense of things. When a parent isn’t fluent in their child’s language, it’s often the children who are in the frustrating position of trying to communicate basic facts.
Luckily, these exchanges can still give someone a good laugh, but that depends on their ability to turn an ironic situation into something funny rather than sad.
An Important Question
It’s always a scary situation when something that looks like a distress signal is communicated. Your entire life can change when your parent evokes something that smells like danger in their text, which is why Mom should probably be more careful next time in the way she articulates her texts.
Hopefully, her daughter updated her that texting the police doesn’t work. But remember, there are no stupid questions… only stupid people.
Lack of Knowledge in the Art of Emojis
Back in the day, millennials had to use various letters and signs to create their emojis. This was a creative and brave exploration of combining language with artful communication. Many of us remember the time when ‘:-p’ meant sticking your tongue out and ‘:-o' meant you were surprised.
Parents have sort of skipped that generation and gone straight to today’s graphic, done-for-you emojis. Many of them don’t know how to activate and use these, which is what sets the stage for this funny exchange.
Tough Parenting
People often have the dilemma of either complimenting their child/spouse for something that they don’t agree with or just telling them the truth at the risk of being offensive. This mother clearly doesn’t care one bit about offending her daughter as she breezes past her daughter’s inadequacies like she’s discussing tomorrow’s weather forecast.
If there’s one child on this list that most urgently needs some therapy, it’s gotta be this one.
Finding the Spacebar
The texts in this picture start with a loving message from a child to their parent. It quickly turns into a weird dramatic sensation before the mother replies. While many parents can get on board with the idea of having a touch-based keyboard, not all of them get how it works.
This Mom didn’t know where the space key is. Which ended up causing quite a funny situation.
No. Just... No.
We’re sure that this father genuinely wanted to tell his kid that he left his cell phone at home. Unfortunately, sometimes we get so attached to our mobiles that we forget that they are not us. The average person spends almost 100% of their day (including their sleep) next to their phone. This is why when someone loses their phone, our first instinct is to call their phone to tell them.
Hopefully, the dad realized his error and attempted to contact his kid in another way. The alternative, where the father didn’t realize his mistake, is just too scary to imagine.
Supportive Parents
Sometimes parents like to tease their kids for their failures and weaknesses. It’s not necessarily a thing they do out of spite or malice but more like a way to build the child’s character.
Getting a great morning message like that, only to have your hopes and dreams crushed by its ending is quite a sad experience. Hopefully, this daughter took her Mom’s tough love and managed to make the most of it.
Cool Beans Mom
Parents should strictly avoid phrases that they think are popular, as the case is usually the opposite. There’s nothing less cool than a parent who’s desperately trying to resurrect a classic phrase that was used in the ‘60s.
It’s likely that even back then, people didn't use phrases to seem cool but instead used these to identify and isolate the nerdiest of the bunch.
Let’s Change the Topic
Kids know a lot more these days than we give them credit for. Their constant connectivity with the internet makes them exposed to various things that we didn’t know until a much later age. This example of an autocorrect and a child with a dirty mind lead to quite a funny exchange.
Hopefully, Dad can improve his anniversary game next year, as these are clearly some important events that need to take place in this couple's relationship.
Way Too Many Emojis
Most people can manage by using only one or two emojis to emphasize their point. Usually, it’s either a smiley, a heart, or a thumbs-up emoji at the end of a sentence that really helps to drive the emotional tone of the message home. Other people feel the need to use emojis in every single sentence, sometimes even using them to replace the actual words they’re supposed to write.
When you take this to its logical extreme, you get whatever it is that’s going on in this text exchange. This kind of convoluted message could have been a mystery in the "Da Vinci Code", for all intents and purposes.
Worst Prank of All Time
Some parents are absolutely cruel toward their kids. Many of our parents enjoyed scaring each other when they were young kids, but let go of this habit once they realized it was not mature.
When Mom or Dad tries to scare us in creative ways, it can be quite terrifying, especially for a young child. Hopefully, the kid didn’t need too much therapy after this incident.
Taking an Example From Bow-tie Man
Let’s be frank; some parents have the cutest sayings and comebacks. While most adults choose to discipline their kids with the obligatory “I’m the adult” lecture, some take a more creative approach to this tough feat. Every kid can appreciate when a parent takes the extra effort to make their moral lessons funny, which is why this Mom is pretty awesome.
She has apparently created a character called Bow-tie Man, who has a supreme level of intelligence. This guy doesn’t make mistakes, and they should probably make a superhero movie about him.
Is This Twitter?
Our parents can sometimes surprise us with just how technologically inept they are, although it’s quite understandable why they would be this way. Imagine growing up in a time when changes took decades, only to suddenly be swept up by more change than you’ve seen in your entire lifetime at once.
Sometimes parents don’t exactly know what certain tech words mean, which causes them to confuse a social network like Twitter with a texting app. Hey, at least Mom didn’t think that Twitter was actually a digital bird!
Please Use the Space Button
We can only say our thanks for having more sophisticated parents than this one right here. While it may be excused that some fathers and mothers can’t find the emojis on a mobile keyboard, there’s no reason to not know where a spare key is.
Frankly, if we didn’t know where the space key was, we would be way too embarrassed to ask about it in a text exchange.
That Is Definitely Not Chocolate
Poop emojis have some of the cutest faces of all the creatures in the emoji library. For some reason, people have made poop a lot cuter than most of the animals in our emoji stack.
This mother was so convinced by the beautiful poop that she thought for a moment she was looking at a beautiful chocolate cone with a smiling, positive attitude.
Dad’s Proud Achievement
We’ve already mentioned that fathers seem to have a cold and sarcastic sense of humor that translates quite well in text form.
It’s hard to imagine the horrible thoughts that went through this young girl’s mind, but at least her mother got a prego.
An Encouraging Father
People think police officers are probably the most strict and uptight mothers and fathers there are. While this may be true in some cases, it actually leads to the exact opposite result in others.
Police workers are usually so jaded after a few years in their careers that it gets very hard for someone to phase them. This, plus a slightly liberal attitude, must have been the factor that led to this hilarious but incriminating text exchange.
Burn This Text Exchange
Sometimes parents try to learn how to be “hip” and adopt their children’s lingo and mannerisms. These attempts are usually met with a scolding look from the kids and are quite often unsuccessful. This exchange between a mother and her daughter shows why parents should never attempt to do this.
Anything that a parent touches stops being cool, as they are invading the counterculture space of their younger generation. This conversation is one of the most cringeworthy things you’ll read this year. We can only hope that nobody ever found out who was behind this text exchange.
The World’s Best Paid Room Cleaner
Money is a great incentive to make your kids do your bidding. Many children learn to value money even before they’re ten years old, although they don’t exactly understand its significance. Kids instinctively like to gather resources, so when you offer them money to do something, they will.
Whether or not this mother actually hid $100 in her daughter’s room, her proposition is quite smart. Although this won’t necessarily make her daughter disciplined all of a sudden, it will get the room cleaned in no time.
When Life Is Too Short
The “YOLO” trend is an interesting one, having popularized a few words to mean one thing that could easily be interpreted to mean something else. “You only live once,” they say, and so you should live life to the fullest. Take risks! Be bold! But…if you only have one life, shouldn’t you also protect that one life? Maybe don’t take certain risks?
This mom is here to ensure her kid doesn’t “Yolo” his one life away.
Autocorrect Strikes Again
It’s a good thing that this kid has a healthy sense of humor because it might have been highly offensive to most other children.
Autocorrect is officially one of the best ways to ruin a relationship. It’s also really easy to say nasty things and blame it on the feature, which we guess is why Apple and Android never quite got around to fixing its issues.
Don’t Type Without Seeing
One of the worst things about having glasses is the moments when you lose them. The problems that come with partial blindness include the occasional stubbed toe or walking with your arms outstretched like a zombie across your house so as not to bump your head into anything.
If you’ve ever tried typing on a phone with your eyes closed, it’s quite a similar experience to doing it without glasses. This mother shows why you shouldn’t type without glasses.
Early Signs of Possession
We’re not sure what exactly is going on in this text message, but it seems to be a mixture of some really nasty software virus and a ghost haunting the phone. When you hold a key on your phone’s keyboard, you’ll likely see a list of variant letters you can use. For example, instead of writing the letter ‘e’, you can hold the letter and choose something else such as 'è,' 'é,' 'ë,' or 'ę.'
We assume that this is what happened to this mother’s phone, although based on her daughter’s response, it might be something much worse.
Something Weird In the Background
We all love to occasionally share a picture with our loved ones. Sometimes we meet a special someone and want to let our family know; other times, we encounter a beautiful vista that we just have to take a picture of. Mothers and fathers are still getting the hang of the whole “camera on a phone” thing since they grew up in a time when phones and cameras were separate objects.
This mother either didn’t realize that her finger was on the camera, or she was taking a picture of a very big fingery view.
A Slip of the Fingers
Autocorrect gets all of us at one point or another, and laundry is a bit of a difficult word from the outset. Of course, autocorrect uses everybody who texts as a model to correct words, and there are lots of people out there who don't like using complicated words like laundry.
This little mistake confused dad, but he adapts without taking too much time. He even extends an offer of dinner to the non-existent Lauren. And he would know that men aren't worth the time – he is one. Thankfully, it's all cleared up in the end.
Rolling With the Punches
The things you say or text to your friends you likely wouldn't say to your parents. Either one, though dads traditionally can handle a little more. So, when you accidentally tell your dad that you want to punch someone in the eye with a rusty fork, it doesn't always go over so well.
This father figure has nothing but good advice for both of them, telling his daughter to be safe and then working on how his court appearance will go. It's just too bad that these texts are probably saved on some server deep inside Apple somewhere.
A Comedian in the Family
Many of the text conversations on this list start out strange and then get stranger, but this one is perfectly normal. A child needs vision-giving contacts so he or she can drive safely or read books or whatever.
The mom then immediately adds in what is usually known as a dad joke, but we can now open it up to all parents. Or you could call them what they really are – BAD jokes. The child responds the way you always should, which is with disappointment and shame. Enough shame and they might stop.
It Seems Like a Common Problem
If this is the immediate response to such an innocuous question, we're going to go ahead and assume that this guy has been having girl problems for a while. Was it just the one girl, or has this poor lad gone through the wringer with one girlfriend after another?
The dad knows the truth – they're all crazy, son, you better get used to it. Really, all people are crazy, but that was the scope of the conversation. Anyway, what color do you want your dragon to be? Gold and silver are the usual choices, but red is also popular.
Father Commands You to Laugh
Dad jokes are, for many, something that you groan at and try to forget about moments after hearing them. This one is pretty classic. Not only does it use Harry Potter as a starting point, which is the most popular thing in the history of ever if the internet is any indication, but it uses text abbreviations as part of the joke!
Naturally, the dad then adds a smiley face at the end. He hopes you're smiling too. It's a dad joke, but you have to admit it's still pretty clever.
We Both Know That Isn't Happening
Whether this is actually what the son was hoping to get or if it was just an attempt to put his dad on his back foot, this son got a response that shut him down for good. The thing about parents is they've been around for a while, and they have a lot of responses stored up for these kinds of situations.
It's tough getting the better of them during these kinds of conversations. So, maybe this was a dad clapping back, or maybe this was a parent that wanted a kid to buy his own darn protection, darn it.
The Moth Comes for All
Moths are not, by most metrics, dangerous creatures. They can't sting; we don't think they bite humans – they don't even eat other animals. They eat curtains. Still, they're bugs, and that means that there are plenty of people out there that can't stand to be near them. We get it. Bugs are bad.
This kid begs his or her father to take care of the infestation. The child begs and begs because otherwise, the bathroom is blocked. But the dad failed in his fatherly duty, and now the moth is in control. The bathroom is its home, and it will need snacks.
Equally Unequal
This child is just trying to wish Dad a happy Father's Day – one might call that the bare minimum. But such a task cannot be accomplished because the phone is off. A text will do in such a situation, right? The father is happy that this child remembered and then follows some self-deprecating banter back and forth.
We don't think that such things are actually true; otherwise, they probably wouldn't be having such a long conversation. We're betting they do really love each other — they just have a little trouble expressing it. But at least all the children are equal, sort of.
Taking Every Opportunity
You know you're ready to become a dad when you start telling dad jokes as your primary form of humor, but it isn't going to be very fun for your kids. Dads have a lot of humor that is just straining to get out at every opportunity, which means even things like a simple conversation about what appears to be Thanksgiving dinner into an opportunity for a joke.
Well, when you think about it, how else could a turkey possibly smell? Not through the wings. They can't even fly using those, so smelling with them is right out of the equation.
There's Always One
Kids these days are pretty good at texting, but most of their parents grew up putting punch cards into computers or using Morse code. Or sending smoke signals. Sometimes the ins and outs of communicating in the modern era escape them. It's usually one or the other.
In this instance, it's the dad that is having some difficulty with his thumbs and also with remembering the name of the media. And, now that we look a little closer, how to spell “bow” and “are.” Poor marks all around, honestly. Still, he was able to communicate enough for a clear answer, so there's that.
It's Your Own Fault
This child, whoever it is, only has himself or herself to blame for what almost certainly occurred after this exchange. Why, why, oh WHY, would you give your adult parent the information they need to lock the capital key? What's the point of capitalizing every single text character?
Sure, capitalizing a single word adds a little bit of flavor to a message, but the entire text? It's just not the right choice to make. Now everybody in the family is going to be mad at you. We're mad at you, too. You should be mad at yourself.
How Could You Possibly Make That Mistake
HIV is maybe one of the most famous diseases that exist in the entire world. It's dangerous, almost incurable, and easily spread. To get something called acquired immunodeficiency syndrome confused with (squints) “A's in design school” is quite the feat. Maybe this is the kind of dad who doesn't pay too much attention to the outside world.
He has his work, his wife, his kids, his model trains, and that's about it. Perhaps this father was “just joshing” and wanted to send something funny. Well, if so, back to the drawing board, Dad, because this joke is pretty tasteless.
There's This Thing Called “Cash”
Many might think that if you don't have a debit or credit card, it's pretty darn hard to buy things. But there are these weird slips of paper that have little green faces on them. Many, many years ago, they could be exchanged for goods and services.
This kid was terrified that Dad wouldn't be able to buy anything without his card, but dad had plenty of options at his fingertips. Including saying what we hope was a joke — that the dad could use the college funds to buy the groceries. Hopefully, that didn't put too much of a dent in it.
Mom Is, Technically, Proud
Chemistry, especially some of the more intense varieties, can really take it out of a student. These people get up early to study flash cards of molecules, for Pete's sake. Thus, getting an A in the class is something to celebrate. At first, Mom seems...surprised? Confused? Something like that, but it's all just a misunderstanding.
She doesn't understand what WTF means...well, that it doesn't mean, “Well, that's fantastic.” The mom is very happy that her child did well in school, of course, but it takes a little bit of interpretation to figure that out.
Testing the Waters
Mom is sending texts. A lot of texts. About homework, and chores, and the holidays, and then, finally, about buying this person a new car! That finally, FINALLY gets the child's attention, but it's all just a ploy, a ruse, a fake! A falsehood was perpetrated because the child was refusing to respond to any of the other messages.
Well, sometimes, you get pushed far enough. The child was pretty quiet after the rest of the other messages, but for stuff about the dishwasher and homework, what exactly did this mom expect? You have to do a little better than that.
We Are Very Confused
Voice-to-text is an incredibly useful piece of technology for people who have trouble hitting those tiny little keys. It can be a trial for people with bigger thumbs. Still, that doesn't mean that voice text doesn't have its own issues. You don't have to actually say the spaces to put them in between words.
Maybe it's just because this is an earlier form of the technology, but it doesn't seem to be doing that well keeping up with Mom. And then there's the second message from Mom, which...well, we have no idea whatsoever. It could mean anything.
Nice Pic, Dad
Once Smartphones became something that everybody had, the floodgates opened when it came to weird communication between parents and their children. Like, for instance, a dad that is so excited to send text messages and pictures to one of his kids. Of course, he doesn't have the etiquette down just yet, like maybe don't send pictures of yourself on the toilet to your kids. That's just common sense.
Of course, most people can't tell that this person is on the toilet. But the child knows. The child will always know if a Dad is doing something embarrassing. Because he will always be doing something embarrassing.
What Did I Just Say?
Why is it so hard for people to follow simple instructions? A mom tells her kid not to text her while she's on the treadmill – for some reason – and the kid just goes and does it anyway. The child wasn't planning on it but did it anyway. The mom, of course, gets upset at this.
Why shouldn't the child text the mom while she's on the treadmill? Has this happened before? Does the treadmill stop working? Does it break the mom's flow? Maybe the treadmill is powered by radio waves, and when a text comes in...look, we don't know.
You'll Pay for This
We don't even know which parent it was who sent this joke, but obviously, it was a parent since no one else would have the idea to send such a great but also, somehow, terrible joke to someone via text. This is the kind of joke that will have terrible ramifications in the future.
The child might just do everything he or she can to get back at the parent. Maybe not even with a joke. We're talking “put you in a senior home” kinda thing, and not even one of the good ones.
Swapping Some Words Around
One of the neat features of a lot of text apps is you can add your own shorthand. Think of it as your own special little code. You could type “OMW,” and your phone would interpret it as “on my way,” for instance, sending that instead of the three letters. This is what has happened here.
A daughter named Emily decided to go in and make it so that when her mom typed “hi,” it got changed to “Nugget.” Classic. The mom quickly sees that it's making a change but has no idea how to get around it. She then, of course, blames Emily.
Maybe Just Call Next Time
A lot of times, it's easy to figure out the backstory of a picture like this. Or, at least, to figure out what the people meant when they typed what we see. That is not the case here. Whether “Momma” is actually talking about duck jackets or muck maggots or husk gaggles, we have no idea.
We do not know what she is talking about. The person on the other end is just as mystified. The only possible response is just a stuttering question because there's no way to come back from that. It's all even better since the conversation starts with “are u sore.”
A Classic Family Moment
Every family has some of those moments that are brought up constantly at holidays or reunions or things like that. This one is bound to leap into the rotation right away. At first, Mom's response seems entirely impossible to understand, but the second text from her gives it away.
“I can't find my glasses. Can't text now” is the most likely explanation, though it may vary a little bit. The second text was like the Rosetta stone for the first text. We wonder how fast this screenshot got passed around to everyone else in the family. We hope it was immediate.