(Picture: Ella Byworth)

If your dad has a smartphone, you’ll know the quirks of ‘dad texting’.

Many people acknowledge that their dads aren’t the greatest text conversationalists.

Despite the wealth of chatting opportunity on messaging apps, such as voice notes, picture messaging, GIFs, and emoji, a lot of dads seem to stick to one-word replies. Or they send messages and updates about completely random things, usually out of context, or take forever to reply.

The savvier among them might send memes. But you probably already saw that meme three years ago.

There are some quirks that are just so dad, like one father who insists on always sending kisses in a particular format i.e XX XXX, the one who always refers to his daughter as Darling D, and another who can’t help but add an ellipsis after almost every sentence.

Not to paint all dads with the same brush – we’re sure there are some dads out there who are texting geniuses – but our dear old dads really do have some strange texting habits that feel unique to fatherkind.


We spoke to a dad, a daughter, and a parenting expert to explore why dads have such a way with text messaging.

Dad-of-three Adrian Ballard, from Basingstoke, is 63 years old and doesn’t exactly love texting.

He tells Metro.co.uk: ‘I am reasonably au fait with modern technology and social media, but far from proficient.

‘To be honest, I hate texting. That said, that’s largely due to my physical and mental health problems which make it difficult for me.

‘Some of my gripes with texting include punctuation, or rather, the lack thereof, speed texting… I often receive three or four texts in the time it takes me to respond to the first, so I get frustrated and sometimes cut short the conversation.

‘Some people need to have their mobile phone constantly with them and switched on, even during social occasions or out for a meal. I feel this is rude and unsocial.

‘I don’t like the constant interruptions during face to face meetings.’

Though texting isn’t his preferred method of communication, Adrian does see its benefits.

‘Given a choice, I would always prefer face to face or telephone conversations,’ he says. ‘However, I also like the ease of contact that texting provides and it is a valuable tool in maintaining a relationship with my daughter who currently lives in Australia and who intends continuing to travel for the foreseeable future.’


Imtisal, whose dad either replies ‘ok’ or ignores her texts, told Metro.co.uk that she doesn’t mind her dad’s texting incompetence.

‘I personally don’t think our dads’ methods of communications are bad just because it’s not how we younger generations normally text or talk.

‘I actually think it’s pretty funny and I know that they don’t do it on purpose, at least in my situation.

‘My dad frequently uses internet slang and memes when he talks to both my little sister and I and it’s honestly just really funny to see him using them.

‘Knowing that he understands some of the things we find amusing is something I’m thankful for because it shows that he still has a sense of humour no matter how much older he gets.’

For most dads, the struggle of texting comes down to a generational difference.

Us millennials were raised immersed in the world of digital communication, while our dads have had to adjust to a new way of talking with their children.


Just as they’re unlikely to know the latest slang spread on the playground, it’s hard for dads to have the same communication style and tone as their children if they’re not occupying the same physical or online space.

It’s only natural to have a touch of culture clash when you’re far apart in age, and for dads and their offspring, this often comes to play when texting.

Joshua David Stein, editor of parenting website Fatherly, thinks virtual communication is important no matter how much effort is put in.

‘For a child, a dad’s grasp of emoji and internet slang matters profoundly less than the fact that he is trying to reach out to his kid on his kid’s level,’ he says.

‘Actually, the worse you are as a dad in the world of LOL, IRL and LMFAO, the more fodder you provide for anecdotes by your kid about how adorable you are.’

While your dad might not have nimble fingers or a grasp of texting tone, at least he’s giving you plenty of material to tweet about, to tell your friends, and maybe even your children one day.

And remember, mums aren’t much better either:

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