The Scene In Which My Mom Learns To Text

Recently my mom learned how to use text messaging on her phone. It went sort of like this:

7:34am - Mom Cell: Im learnig how to texts! Gits Fun!
7:35am - Dad Cell: Mom is learning to text
7:37am - Younger Brother Cell: Oh god, Mom is learning how to text.

Since then I've received a couple text messages here and there, mostly alerting me to cool new gossip like when people I know get engaged or are having a baby or something else fun. Unlike when we first introduced Mom to other forms of new technology 'round about the time I left for college, she now knows that technology does not always equal a real-time reply....

.....like when she learned to use email.
Ring, ring....
Becky: Hello?
Mom: Hi Sweetie, it's Mom
Becky: Hey Mom!
Mom: I want to check my email. How do I do it again?
Becky: Double click on the Internet explorer.
click............click.
Mom: It didn't work.
Becky: No, click two times, really fast.
clickclick
Mom: Ok.
Becky: Did yahoo come up? (We had it set to come up)
Mom: Yeah.
Becky: Now type in your username.
Mom: What's my username?
Becky: (says username)
Mom: Ok.
Becky: Now your password.
Mom: What's my password?
Becky: (says password)
Mom: Ok.....I'm in.
Becky: Ok.
Mom: You didn't reply to my email!
Becky: Are you serious?
Mom: I sent you one earlier. Why didn't you answer?
Becky: We're on the phone!!!!!!

........like when she learned to use AIM
MomName: Hey Becky
AUTO-REPLY from BECKYUSERNAME: Studying..... - then insert ironically witty alternative music lyric quote to represent the drudge of studying here -
MomName: Hello?
MomName: Becky?
MomName: Are you there>>
MomName: What does that MEAN?!>
MomName: Ok, call me later
(5 mins later)
MomName: Are you there>
(2 mins later)
MomName: Ok, bye

Yes, there have been lots of hilarious moments with Mom and Technology meeting over the past several years.....but I have to say that, by far, the MOST. ADORABLE. TECHNOLOGY. MOMENT. EVER is the one that just occurred when I received a text photo from my brother asking which of the 4 ties pictured he should wear to a function tomorrow. Because as tech-savvy as my parents may be now (and my dad is, I should mention, quite tech-savvy), they are still my parents, and when they do adorable things like this while trying to use technology it just makes me love them more.

"Younger Brother needs help picking a tie," I announced to the room at large (I am at my parents house this week). They are sitting on the couch watching the news with our two adorable golden retrievers and my little pup Finn.

I show the photo to my mother. She takes her glasses off her head, puts them on, squints at my camera's tiny photo, and says, "I can't tell the difference between any of those."

I show the photo to my father. He takes his glasses off, puts them on his head, squints at my camera's tiny photo, and says, "I can't see a danged thing in that photo."

I call my brother. "Mom and Dad can't see the photo," I relay.

"What colors are they?" my mom asks. "Tell him I can't see them."

"Mom couldn't see them," I say.

"Tell him to wear the red one," my dad adds helpfully.

"Wear the red one." I say.

"I don't have a red one," my brother replies.

Oh, bless. My parents are just fantastic.