Dear Old Fashioned...

Bitter Amanda,

I recently had a boy ask me if we wanted to take things to the next step - by which he meant becoming a couple.

He did this by text message. Is this normal? It seems to me a conversation about couplehood should take place in person. Kinda like not dumping someone via text - you shouldn't start a relationship via text either.

Am I just old fashioned? Is this the new norm? If so - I object. Whats next? Sex via text? Like that will ever work.

Sincerely,

Grow a Pair and Ask Me in Person

Dear Old Fashioned,

Unfortunately, the spreading of good news in a digital format seems to be gaining momentum as an appropriate method. I do not agree with this. I don't understand why my best friend should find out my news at the same time as my dentist. However, it's happening anyway.

As far as I'm concerned, a boy texting you about taking your relationship to the next level? Is only appropriate if your relationship up to that point has been a texting and/or internet relationship. Using this scale, I would assume he's ready to start having phone conversations? That's sweet.

Buuuuut....if your relationship has been a standard issue texting/phone/date/face-to-face conversation sort of thing? Then it's completely ridiculous. Texting isn't the way to move things along in the relationship department! It's just plain lazy! I cannot believe the extent of this epidemic.

Where did we go wrong? I suspect this has been snowballing for some time. First we accepted flirting via text, and then we decided it was acceptable to ask someone out and before you can type "brb" we'll be reading on facebook about that time our friends got engaged when he typed "Will u marry me? y/n" into his iPhone and she responded with a y-smiley face combo. We can't let this happen! I won't stand for it--and neither should you.

Stay strong, Old Fashioned. You're not wrong. He needs to man up and have The Talk in person.

Solitarily yours,

Bitter Amanda

PS: Sex via text will never happen? Seriously? I'm going to pretend I never saw that. You're going to immediately google Tiger Woods and learn about his failed marriage. *ba