Dear Bro Jo,
I'm back!
This time - I hope - not with a silly question which I know the answer to.
So I could tell you a long or short version of this story. I'm gonna stick to short unless you need more details.
Basically there's this guy (non-member) who I have gotten into a habit of texting quite regularly.
He's nice and everything . . . but I'm thinking it may be bordering on inappropriate.
So I guess my question is - how can I politely decrease or eventually stop this?
Is it the right thing to do?
Oh and I'm seventeen.
And I'm thinking that maybe you might need some more background but we'll see how this goes.
- Trying To Text Tactfully
Dear Forty,
You say you're "thinking it may be bordering on inappropriate"; I say that's a prompting of the Spirit telling you that it most certainly is.
You don't mention what your prior relationship was with this guy, nor you discuss the nature of your texts, but to be honest neither really matters.
Stop making excuses, stop looking for reasons to do what you know is wrong.
You know you're supposed to stop, so stop.
Look, not all texting is evil.
It can be a quick and quiet way to deliver a message.
When Sister Jo and I are apart, like when she's at a football game and I'm at a orchestra concert, we'll text each other; "They're playing this song", "he just threw for a touchdown", stuff like that.
I personally think it's . . . (dare I say?) . . . PATHETIC when people choose texting over talking.
You have the phone in your hand, they have the phone in their hand, there's no reason for you to be quiet . . . dial the darned number and actually TALK to each other.
Sheesh!
The next time this guy texts you, if you want to talk to him, text him back THIS ONE LAST TIME, and say "I'm giving up texting; if you want you can give me a call".
After that, or if you don't want to talk to him, just stop responding to his texts.
Cold.
He'll probably get mad, but that's his problem, not yours.
Just because someone texts you, there's no law that says you have to respond.
- Bro Jo
Dating, Relationship and Other Advice for LDS Teens, Young Single Adults, and anyone else who could use a little help (since 2009) from someone who cares enough to give it to you straight.
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Regularly read by 50,000+ readers in over 140 countries around the world, "Dear Bro Jo" is published several times a month.
This is column is just one guy's opinion, and while he does his best to keep what he thinks, says and writes in-line with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, "Dear Bro Jo" is not an LDS Church website. (And Sister Jo thinks you should know that he's sometimes wrong, and often way too opinionated for his own good.)
Please like our Facebook page, and check it often for Discussions, Notes, Events and just General Good Stuff!
This is column is just one guy's opinion, and while he does his best to keep what he thinks, says and writes in-line with the Gospel of Jesus Christ, "Dear Bro Jo" is not an LDS Church website. (And Sister Jo thinks you should know that he's sometimes wrong, and often way too opinionated for his own good.)
Nothing here is meant to take the place of talking with parents, leaders, or Church authorities. Please, if you need serious help, talk to a trusted adult, leader, and / or professional counselor.
Please like our Facebook page, and check it often for Discussions, Notes, Events and just General Good Stuff!
Everything here is copyrighted. If you're going to quote any part of anything here, please get Bro Jo's written permission. You can reach him at dearbrojo@gmail.com.
2 comments:
Thanks for having such an awesome blog Bro Jo! It might just be that I read your blog too often... but I feel like you already posted this? Or at least... this first part? Either that or I'm just imagining things.
Sometimes, Jordan, the emails start to look the same to me, too!
It's always possible that I failed to mark this one as "previously posted" in the database . . . certainly a mistake I've made before . . .
Thanks for keeping me on my toes!
Just incase, I'll post a "bonus column" tomorrow.
- Bro Jo
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