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We let our cell phone contract expire six months ago, at which time the harassment by our provider to renew for another couple of years commenced. When I say "harassment," I mean they offered us deal after deal. They made it hard to say no with several buy one get one -- or two -- free deals that could be combined with credits and rebates for "unheard of" savings.

Meanwhile, our oldest boys were lobbying for better phones and unlimited texting. Up until this point, I had texting and everything else except actual phone calling blocked.

My teens made a compelling case for unlimited texting. At ball games and the skate park, for example, the background noise makes it difficult to hear when speaking on the phone. Texting that they need a ride home, rather than screaming it into a phone, would be more sensible, they argued.

Also, they would be able to text their friends who are not on our network. Ever since they joined the world of cell phones, they've been restricted to calling after nine or on weekends if the other person was not on the same network. However, they can text any number on any network any time without piling up fees on the phone bill -- with an unlimited plan.

Our youngest simply wanted to be added to the plan. He would be happy with any phone and didn't care what was blocked, as long as he could have his very own phone number. He made sure we were aware that one of his older, more responsible, brothers once left his phone in a cooler, getting it wet and rendering it useless. He also promised he would NEVER lose his phone, as was the case several times with his other, more responsible, older brother.

Hubby just hoped for a battery that didn't drain 12 seconds into a conversation with his brother. His brother mentioned that it would be nice if Hubby answered his cell phone with something other than, "Hi! Good to hear from you. My battery is nearly dead. Can I call you back on the house phone?"

My smart phone was still working well enough. However, technology leapt forward over the past few years. I knew in my heart it was time to bite the bullet and upgrade.

I knew better than to take my persuasive crew to the cell phone store, so I headed out after they left for school and work. After the salesman reviewed our old plan and heard me describe what my family hoped for, I assumed there would be some middle ground. I was pleasantly surprised when I learned that it would not cost us any more each month to make everyone's dreams come true.

Not only was I able to upgrade phones and add the little guy, I was also able to add unlimited texting to our family plan. The upgraded phones for Hubby and the older boys were designed specifically for "texters." They also had all sorts of perks that my oldest figured out within ten minutes of getting his fingers on the device.

I thought I wanted a touch-screen PDA phone. But after trying to navigate the keyboard and tripping over my fingers, I realized that touch screens were designed for young, dexterous, slim finger tips. The Typing-I class I took in the ninth grade on the electric typewriter did absolutely nothing to prepare me for touch-screen typing.

Our youngest, while added to the family plan, had to settle for one of the old phones with a new battery. I was worried that he'd be disappointed, but he couldn't be happier. To him, it is a brand new, exciting, cool phone.

He was so gracious about getting a hand-me-down, yet again, I let him have texting, as well -- for a trial period. His brothers are too distracted texting everyone they know on their "tight" new phones to be jealous that they didn't have texting, let alone cell phones, at his age.

My kids missed the boat on their pro-unlimited-texting arguments. What they should have mentioned -- what I now know to be the case -- is that they do like to communicate with their parents. They just don't necessarily like to do it verbally.

I've talked to my teenagers more in the last week via texting than in the past year face to face or via phones. Sure, it takes me longer to tap out my responses, but so far they've been quite patient with their techno-feeble parents. They even give us tips and helpful hints to make texting them easier.

It is entirely possible that they are simply extremely grateful to have the coolest texting phones available with unlimited capabilities. They are also getting older and more mature.

However, I am inclined to believe that the problem all along, since the moment they turned 13, was that they are actually more comfortable writing than speaking. And I bet they get that from me.

Micki Bare is a columnist for the Arkansas News Bureau and the Courier-Tribune in Asheboro, N.C., and author of the book, "Relative Expressions." She lives in Asheboro with her husband and three children. Her e-mail address is mickibare@inspiredscribe.com.