My how times have changed

There have been so many moments in the last few months that I've said "wow, things sure are different than it was when I was a kid". I'm not just talking about technology, although that is part of it.

For example...

A couple years ago, Riley wanted a drink. How about some water? She comes back a few minutes later and asks if she can have some lemonade. How about some water? Her reply was funny...we are all out of water. Huh? Yes, there were no water bottles left. How about grab a cup, throw in some ice, and put some water in the glass? Really, out of the tap? Seriously? You would have thought we were trying to make her drink prune juice. Holly and I both remember our drinking out of the hose moments. I'm not sure how I feel about my kids drinking out of the hose now but years ago, it was not uncommon. As a kid, we didn't even need a hose, we would just stick our mouths under the tap outside. Again, not sure I want to see Ian or Des do that any time soon. Things are different now.

Another example...

Seatbeats. We are uber spazzy about the kids having seatbelts on properly and sitting up. The strap has to be across their chests. No slumping. If we have an accident, we want the kids to survive! When Holly was a kid, they had lap belts. At one point when I was a kid, some cars didn't have those. I remember riding to the beach in my Mom's 240Z while sitting on the hump in the back, because there was no backseat...and obviously, no seatbelt. Holly told me a story that she convinced her brother that the floor area was the cool place to sit...and he believed it...and she was nice enough to give him the floor while she laid on the entire back seat. There is not a chance in the world that Riley could pull that on Ian or Desi, because no kid of mine would be on the floor behind the front seats. Things are different now.

On the technology front, my kids will never know what it is like to only have 3-5 channels to watch (and some of those were fuzzy if you didn't have a giant antennae). The only reason my kids know how to roll a window up and down is because I bought a Yaris with no power anything. Most kids wouldn't have any idea what that knob is or why there is no window button. Riley has a cell phone now. I'm sure she would like an iPhone or one with cool games. When I was a kid, we had a home phone...well, two...and they were not portable. Heck, one was rotary dial. Computers, microwaves, music players, even the trusty old calculator were luxury items. Things are different now.

I'm getting older so I suspect there will be a few "Back in my day, we....." statements that will come out of my mouth.

Until next time, buh bye.