my text messages are not syncing between my phone and iPad

Have you tried looking at Settings/Messages/Text Message Forwarding (on iPhone) to check that iPad has been allowed to send/receive - if it hasn't select and try (you should get a code popup to enter).

If it has go back to Settings/Messages and turn off iMessage slider (at top) and restart the iPhone. You might need to do same on iPad. Once both devices have restarted wait a couple of minutes and go back and turn iMessages back on for iPhone then iPad (to sign back in), then check Text Message Forwarding again to enable for iPad, complete the code pop up prompt.

ps. This post may also help iMessages aren't syncing between MacBook and iphone

You could try rebooting your router, that will force a reconnection with all your devices - wireless issues have been known to cause issues before with continuity, also this article might give you some more pointers No message forwarding option under Messages settings

Other than that you could do a Restore of your iPhone but from your Mac via iTunes Restore your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch from a backup - Apple Support It asks if you want to backup data first which is a good idea but then it downloads the latest iOS and installs to the iPhone, once that's done it will ask do you want to restore your data from a backup which you want to accept (choose the latest one) or the iPhone will be setup as new, wait for all the data to be bought back (could take awhile if you have a lot of apps) - finally a few setup options with a sign-in and you should be good to go again.

Don't think so, it's still under Settings, Messages on my iPhone SE - the second one down "Text Message Forwarding" under the on/off slider for iMessages itself.

Sometimes it might take a little while to appear after you have enabled iMessages on other devices with the above slider. Make sure you are signed in to the same Apple ID on all the devices - one way to see that now is under Settings (on the iPhone) at the top you should have your Name and Logo, select it to take you into the Apple ID section and towards the bottom all your "Signed in" devices should be listed.

If they are all listed in the above try toggling the off/on slider again on the device you wish to have Forwarding enabled for (iPad or Computer) and see if TMF section then appears back on the iPhone.

If they are not all listed it might mean you are not signed in with that particular device so (on that device) go to the same Apple ID section and at the bottom make sure you are.

Other than playing around with the iMessages off/on slider and making sure you are signed in not sure what else you can check - other than signing out/in again under the Apple ID section on all of your devices.

THanks for writing back so fast. I tried all the on/off, restarting, confirmed ID signed on, etc. on all devices, a couple times. still won't sync. the messages used to sync perfectly between iphone 5, ipad, itouch and Mac laptop. I believe it stopped after an OS update, on the iphone, if I remember correctly. its very frustrating. I didnt realize how great it was to switch seamlessly between devices. need to figure out how to get it set up again.

THanks again.

P.s. Still haven't found "text message forwarding"

I looked in settings/messages and don't see "text message forwarding"

could it be somewhere else? or perhaps called something else?