As my oldest is in the high school home stretch & will graduate in June, she is itching to get out there on her own. And, of course, I am looking forward to watching her spread her little winglets & start paying her own bills. Because, right of passage events can sometimes be funny - realizing electricity comes from a box & you have to call to set it up or not all apartments come with water, trash, cable, phone, etc. Or, when you learn there is no bedtime; which you pay for the entire next day while sitting at work trying to pry your eyes open with mechanical pencils. And, of course, there is no refrigerator fairy.
My youngest, sliding into sophomore year, has other granteds. Socializing is defined as sitting in caveman posture, typing to 400 of your closest online buddies & schoolmates all while maintaining the pasty white visage you were born with. And, his iPod is now his constant companion; he can tune in & tune the rest of the world out. As I recall, WalkMans did not fit in pockets - you carried them; because they were bigger than a wallet. Of course, now-a-days with pants pockets at the knee caps it could work. Ooh, & miniature golf is actually played at outdoor places where waiting in line for the party ahead of you to finish allows for actual interaction. Say it ain't so; where'd the Wii remote go?
When you tell your kids, grandkids, nieces/nephews, "When I was your age...," what do you remember most fondly? What items, ideas have translated into your writing?
Happy Writing,
Patti
'When I was a lad...'
ReplyDeleteNo, I am going have to think about that one.
Ha. This is hilarious. I think the big thing I'll tell my kids about is the time before cell phones. My friend and I were talking about how cell phones weren't even AROUND when we were in COLLEGE. I started college on the first year my university offered student email... and no one knew how to use it. If we wanted to talk to our friends, we met them in the cafeteria or the dorm or called them on a regular old landlane. Oh, those were the days!
ReplyDeleteAl,
ReplyDeleteI know what ya mean.
Erin,
It's amazing how far the technology has come & how far our children have regressed. I had a convo w/ my niece recently & she admitted she can't read people at all!! It reminds me of that Bruce Willis flick - Surrogates.
Thanks to both of you for the comments.
Patti
Yeah, it's a whole different plastic world out there.
ReplyDeleteHey Kay,
ReplyDeleteYou ain't kiddin!!
Thanks,
Patti
It is amazing to think that my children will never know a world where your phone could not take pictures. Or where you had to find a pay phone to make a call.
ReplyDeleteI find myself parroting my Grandma, with "only boring people get bored," but in this world where everything is designed to entertain us without us putting any effort in, it's no wonder so many people have a 'good enough' attitude and no imagination.
I write historical, so modern conveniences have not featured in any of my work (except that I keep my characters more groomed than they would have been). It is cool to see my daughter sit down to write a story because I am writing. And she's having fun, no batteries required.
Erin,
ReplyDeleteYou are giving your daughter an amazing gift. On the historical front, I'm glad to hear about the grooming thing. Because let's face it - not brushing is downright nasty! ;)
Thanks for the comment.
Patti