breaking up is (not so) hard to do

Breaking up is hard to do. Or not.

Some surveys show that one in ten couples now break up by texting on their phone. In fact, there is a list of the ten best break up lines for texting.

My favorite?

“I have made a few bad decisions in my life…giving you my number was one of them….we are done.”

MadamNoire has a serious column about how to do this: “no smiley faces or other door-opening punctuation” makes her list.

Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia a man can divorce his wife by texting “I divorce you” three times on the phone.

Not a lot of R-E-S-P-E-C-T, as Aretha Franklin would put it.

This may make sense for kids in elementary school. We used to do it with notes passed in class.

But maturity should result in, well, maturity. Unfortunately we live in an age when celebrities break up on Twitter.

There are some things that need to happen face to face. And ending a relationship is one of them. Apologies too. Grounding a teenage probably requires an actual conversation.

Conversations that involve context and commitment require at least a phone call. Yes, in the past there was the dreaded “Dear John” letter, but at least it was a letter.

The idea that some conversations require a little more presence (or explanation) was the conclusion of a social media class I just taught. They were concerned with the lost art of conversation, the ability to even engage in small talk at the dinner table.

But when they went to work to craft a message about their concern, it became clear what they wanted to say was that sometimes it is time to talk.

Here is their video, about the breaking up issue:

If you need a little help with the texting lingo, GAL is “get a life.”

But if you need a little help with life, have a conversation.

It’s time to talk.

____________________

The class would appreciate it if you share their message with others.

And by the way, what’s on your list of things that ought to happen face to face?