A New Language?

Have you, by chance, seen the commercial where the mom is frustrated with her daughter's cell phone usage, and the teenage daughter is answering her questions in verbal text shorthand? IDK (I Don't Know) and NBD (No Big Deal).

Well...my two teenagers keep in contact with me by texting with their cell phones. It's cheaper, by far, than calling. My daughter hasn't quite learned text short cuts, so she types in full words and follows grammar and spelling rules. My step-son, however, has brought to my attention how much quicker I could text if I learned the shortcuts.

I'd be happy to do this, but the texting "language" is constantly evolving. I'd need a cheat sheet with me at all times, so that I didn't inadvertently offend someone. He teases me about how long it takes me to respond to his messages. When I told him I could just call him, which would take longer and cost him more money, he stopped teasing.

I consider myself to be a "cool" mom. I'm good with the music they listen to, the books they read, and I can hold a decent conversation with their friends. I'm not really willing to give up all I've learned about good communication and writing skills just to text IDK and NBD.

IDK, WDYT?