Texting Trouble

So, seven weeks into my dating relationship, I have learned a few things. Not many things, but a few. One thing I am POSITIVELY sure of is this: texting fosters arguments.

Really, texting is the main source of conflict in my relationship. And the bad thing is, neither of us intend to cause conflict when we text. I'm convinced the trouble is with the mode of communication.

The miscommunication usually occurs when we're discussing something serious. We never have a problem when it's light chit-chat. But when it's serious, there often are two or three or even four ways that the receiver can interpret a text. For some strange reason, the receiver tends to interpret it in a negative light. "Huh? What do you mean you don't know? You must not care about me AT ALL!" Then it's hard for the sender to straighten it out, because usually the sender has no idea where his/her text went wrong.

Another problem with texting is the time lag. So say my boyfriend asks me something serious, and I shoot off an answer. Then maybe he doesn't text me back for 15 minutes. I'm thinking, "Did I just seriously offend him? Does he think I'm an idiot? Why doesn't he answer me!" Then I get more and more anxious until I get another text.

Well, I got really tired of it. Really tired. I got so tired of it, that I told him how it made me feel, and we agreed not to discuss anything important by text messaging. If I feel like I'm getting anxious and confused, I ask him to put off the conversation until we can talk by phone or in person. When we talk about it that way, it's a whole lot easier to catch any miscommunication before someone's (usually mine) feelings get hurt.

What do you think? Does texting cause problems in your relationships, or does it work for you?