When Parents Text: So Much Said. So Little Understood

A collection of insanely funny texts between parents and kids, When Parents Text is a surprisingly affecting window into the complicated time when parents aren’t ready to let go, and kids aren’t ready to be let go. The parents are well-meaning but hopeless, silly and a little corny, and befuddled by the technology. The kids are bewildered yet patient: the perfect straight man. And the authors, two recent college graduates, Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Fraioli, have an unerring editorial instinct to select the funniest, sweetest, quirkiest, most-telling exchanges.

There’s the revelatory: Mom: My fingers are saying words. This is amazing.

The virtual scolding: Dad: I will deal with your sassy behavior when I get home. Meanwhile have some fiber.

The autofill-challenged: Mom: dig up some tadpoles on ur way homo. Me: ummm, what? Mom: It autocorrected me. I mean to say dig up some tadpoles on ur way homo. (4 minutes later) Mom: PICK UP SOME TAMPONS ON YOUR WAY HOME.

The manically inappropriate: Mom: Woo Hoo—Ruth died, you know Uncle Lyman’s wife, BUT I have your Braves tickets and check on the table!!

And the downright inexplicable: Dad: You could poop your pants in the yankee candle store and no one would know.

Launched as a website just last year, www.whenparentstext.com is a phenomenon. It receives 300,000 to 500,000 page views a day, with features in The Huffington Post, Entertainment Weekly, College Humor, and more. When Parents Text includes the best of texts from the website, plus more than 50 percent all-new material never before published.

Includes an emoticon glossary and 16-page color insert of MMS texts— multimedia messaging service, aka, bizarre photos from mom and dad. It’s the perfect gift for every text-savvy kid to give to his or her parents.

Sophia Fraioli graduated from the University of Vermont in 2010. After moving in with her parents she started the website www.whenparentstext.com with her childhood best friend, Lauren Kaelin. She now lives in New York but still goes home regularly for home cooked meals."

Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Fraioli grew up in Montclair, N.J., and have been best friends since sixth grade. After graduating from Smith (Lauren) and the University of Vermont (Sophia), they moved back to Montclair and now run the hugely popular website, www.whenparentstext.com.