DEAR HARRIETTE: I recently texted with my former boss because I found an old picture of her with some former colleagues and thought she would like to have it. Her response was immediate, but it included a curse word. I was surprised because she doesn’t curse, but I didn’t think much of it. She wrote back immediately apologizing and saying she couldn’t believe that a swear word had been sent by her. She quickly figured out that she had mistyped. She was so embarrassed. Even though I assured her it was no big deal, it really bothered her. Was there more that I should have said? -- Awkward Exchange, Atlanta
DEAR AWKWARD EXCHANGE: I understand why your former boss would have been dismayed. Sadly, between the tiny size of the keyboard on people’s phones and the autocorrect feature that often incorrectly assumes what you are trying to say, many texts end up with weird language that either defies logic or can be insensitive. Neutralizing it in the moment is the best solution.
I suppose my best advice for you and everyone else who texts is to pause and read over whatever you have written before you press send, as too often the brain of the computer or the clumsiness of your fingers could have written something very different than what you thought you wrote.
You accepted her apology; there was nothing more for you to do.