Enough With the Texting; Let's Talk!

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Happily single Roxanne Jones, a founding editor of ESPN the Magazine, writes at CNN that while it may be cute for teenagers to text their sweethearts all day and night, that's really no way for intelligent, confident adults to communicate. She says real men talk — they do not text.

As a happily single woman, I am shocked at how many professional, attractive and otherwise intelligent men have no idea how to hold communicate effectively by phone or face to face. 

Real communication often takes courage. It's not easy to drop our defenses and reveal our insecurities to one another, especially if we've gotten our feelings hurt a few times. But developing your emotional intelligence is a critical ingredient in all healthy adult relationships.

A short text in the middle of the day to let someone know you are thinking of them is a sweet gesture. But if you imagine that sending a daily barrage of texts, such as "driving to work, heading to lunch, or just left a meeting" is a romantic way to show you are thinking of your partner, think again.

Or texting in the middle of the night. I once dated a 50-something guy who thought it was romantic to send me a "good morning" text at 4:30 a.m. Good grief. When the chime on my phone jolted me awake, I panicked: "Someone must have died," I thought. Why else would anyone text me at this hour? Bad move. 

Read Roxanne Jones' entire piece at CNN.

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