Sally's World

Well, I think I’m ready for my Zimmer frame now!

Dave took it upon himself earlier to ask the children if they knew what an LP was.

Three blank faces stared back at him!

“Long Play records?” he asked with hand movements to indicate the size and 'roundness' of the object he was talking about.

They all looked at each other, then back at Dave and shook their heads.

“Wait,” said Robyn, “I know. It’s that big black round thing that you put on that turning thing, and you use a stick thing with a, like, needle thing to make it play. I don’t think you can get them now days, but didn't we see one at the science museum.”

“Aren’t you glad you asked?” I said weakly, feeling about a hundred years old.

Dave just laughed.

Then for some reason he compounded it by telling the children that we only had three TV channels when we were growing up…no computers, no computer games, no Sky TV.

They were all visibly shocked. And when Dave told them that when he was little they only had a black and white TV…well!

“Wow, I’m glad I didn’t live in the olden days!” said Deion.

“You had to push it!” I snapped at Dave.

I guess the kids take for granted the technology they have today. I guess we all do. I remember laughing at people with mobile phones, thinking I’d never have one, now I can’t be without it. I never realised how important computers would become and I cannot imagine being without mine. I guess we could argue that the kids today are spoilt, but we all love the technology. You don’t see the adults giving it back to go back to ‘the olden days’ when we had to write by hand, find a phone box to make a call and actually talk on the phone instead of texting. Would we go back to developing films and give back our digital cameras…not on your life. And imagine how our parents coped when they couldn’t get hold of us at any moment of any day!

I believe that we get a good balance; board games, family days, exercise and sports play a big part of our lives, just like when we were young. But I for one appreciate being able to talk via webcam to my brothers and their kids in America, I love being able to catch up with friends and I love instant access to photos, and especially being able to reach the kids.

But it makes me feel pretty ancient when the kids don’t know what you’re talking about when we talk about cassette tapes, LP’s, black and white TV.

I guess this is the same as our parents felt when they told us about their childhoods, I don’t suppose we gave it much thought as kids!