Back in the Old Days

Before we go any further, you must know that I am a child of the 8-track era, cassette tape listening, vinyl record playing,  and actual black and white television viewing generation. And, it makes me sad that my kids will never know the kind of sweet nostalgia that goes along with living through those historical periods of technological advancement.

They will never know what it was like to actually type your school papers on a typewriter or a wordprocessor, nor will they ever know a world where the IPhone, IPad, ITouch, IMac, or flat-screen TV didn’t exist.  Incredible and sad at the same time.

Waxing equally nostalgic, my cousin, Robin, gave me the greatest birthday present this year; a retro hand-held phone receiver to plug into my IPhone. “Now you can sit and talk like back in the old days,” she joyously declared.

My son, Sam, was totally perplexed when he saw my retro receiver and inquired, “What is thaaaat?”  This started a whole conversation that began with me saying something like, “Well, when I was your age….”  And, you know how the rest goes.

After we finished our little tutorial “on the ways of growing up way back when”, I was struck with another feeling of nostalgia.  A feeling which centered around similar conversations I had with my own mother.  And, at the time, I clearly remember thinking, “Boy, being a Mom means you’re old.”  Only, now here I am, the Mom, looking at my 9 year old, who is surely thinking the same exact thing.

So, even as science and technology progresses, some things will forever remain the same. Kids will always think their parents are ancient and hail from pre-historic times.  And, parents will always remind their children of the differences and wonders in growing up “back in the day.”  A precious circle of nostalgia, if you will.

(Yet, in my effort to get this f’ing blog up and running, I am discovering that my 9 year old may not be so far off base in his thinking.)