Dear Annie: Please say something about the inadequacy of texting for true communication. My sister is addicted to texting and will no longer use email or the telephone to communicate. All warmth, tone of voice and laughter are lost. Often I can't type a response to her first text without her sending me a second text, which makes for a confusing, nonlinear conversation. Miscommunication and hurt feelings run rampant.

I think texting is fine for short, informational sentences, but not for true communication. Several of us were recently involved in a back-and-forth exchange where one correspondent accidentally typed in the wrong tense of a verb. A huge misunderstanding followed, with hurt feelings and anger. It took a dozen subsequent texts to straighten it out. Had we been speaking, it would have been resolved in seconds!

I urge adults to talk to each other rather than text if they have something meaningful to say. Texting limits true communication and connection. — Anti-Texting

Dear Anti-Texting: Thank you for this reminder. It's true that texting is no substitute for face-to-face (or at least voice-to-voice) communication. I'm printing your letter in the hopes that it inspires some readers to pick up the phone and call their loved ones.

Dear Annie: My husband and I have a vacation cabin two hours from our hometown. We go there almost every weekend year-round.

There are four bedrooms, one for each of our grown kids to stay in when they visit. My husband's divorced best friend constantly just shows up on the weekends without notice.

Sometimes my husband and I would like to have a quiet, relaxing weekend alone. My husband understands how uncomfortable it makes me feel, but he doesn't want to hurt his friend's feelings. I feel like my hospitality is completely over with this constant weekend guest. How would you handle this? — Couple's Crowded Cabin

Dear Crowded Cabin: My hospitality and patience would be waning, too. What should be a relaxing oasis space for you and your family seems to have turned into this man's timeshare.

No length of friendship with someone makes it OK to be their rude houseguest. Ask your husband to lay down some firmer boundaries with his friend. While you two are more than happy to host his friend at the cabin from time to time, perhaps his visits should be limited to a dinner or one overnight max for the weekend — and not every weekend. This compromise allows time for your husband to visit with his friend and enjoy time alone with you and the kids. And, of course, any visits the best friend plans on making should always be proposed to you and your husband in advance.

"How Can I Forgive My Cheating Partner?" is out now! Annie Lane's second anthology — featuring favorite columns on marriage, infidelity, communication and reconciliation — is available as a paperback and e-book. Visit http://www.creatorspublishing.com for more information. Send your questions for Annie Lane to dearannie@creators.com.

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