Why families stuck inside together just text each other all day

Early in the pandemic, Jane Cox Childress brought her teenage son warm cookies at his desk during a remote learning session. She received a text message in response: "Mom, could you please not bring me anything when I'm in class?"

Childress said she "learned quickly to be more respectful when he was in class." After that, the two started exchanging a constant stream of texts throughout the day as they continued to do their respective work remotely: Are you ready for lunch? Is this your last class? Here's a heart emoji or two. "It reminds me of the olden days when I was a teenager. Some of my friends with fancy houses had intercoms," Childress said. "We use texting a lot like that now. It beats yelling up and down the stairs."