One Mom's fear that texting has replaced the art of conversation for her daughters.

I can remember as a child being paralyzed with fear when i had to pick up the phone to decline a party invitation or resolve a conflict with a friend. It was the kind of awkward confrontation I used to completely dread.

But now, as a mother of two tween daughters, I suddenly find myself on the opposite side of the issue. I'm struggling with the fact that my 13-year-old recently sent her friend an email apologizing for hurt feelings at school and that my 11-year-old sent a last-minute text message explaining why she was bailing on her playdate. Part of me is jealous that I didn't have email or cell phones when I was growing up to help avoid all those embarassing conversations. But looking back, I realize now that it was these difficult social interactions that made me stronger. They taught me about accountability, responsibility and the art of finesse. I want those things for my daughters.

AOL released the results of a poll this week saying that 43% of instant-messaging teens text things they wouldn't dare say in person. By giving our daughters computers and cell phones, are we raising a generation of responsibility-shirking social recluses?