I sure am glad the New York Times is free online. Otherwise, I’d be out here in the hinterland just plugging along not knowing how clueless I am.

Baby boomers who warned decades ago that their out-of-touch parents couldn’t be trusted now sometimes find themselves raising children who — thanks to the Internet and the cellphone — consider Mom and Dad to be clueless, too.

Then again, I don’t have teenage girls to deal with. Thank God. But here’s a clue younger boomers. Parent, don’t pal.

But even he has found that enforcing rules is harder than might be expected. He now permits Savannah to send text messages while watching TV, after he noticed her using a blanket over her lap to hide that she was sending messages to friends. “I could have them in the same room texting, or I wouldn’t let them text and they would leave,” said Mr. Pence of his children. “They are good kids, but you want to know what they are up to.”

He now permits her to text while watching TV? He wouldn’t let her text when The O.C. was on? Dude, get a life.

Where did they find these people for the story?

Ms. Gallick did not understand that using capital letters was the same as yelling.

Now come on, even a homeless person knows that.

But back to me. The NYT let me know that:

• It’s definitely not safe to text while you drive.
• When kids leave for college parents are happy.
• No one is teaching kids how to use these things. (Blackberries)

We clueless boomers will have the last laugh when all that text-spam comes rolling in and all their minutes are ground up.

I wonder what Mobile/Cell Phone Spam will be called? Somebody more clever than I will come up with a term I’m sure.

Now, I need to read the manual for the car to figure out how to change the clock for DST.