"Hey Dad, what did you do when you were a kid? You didn't have the Internet." - Brandon (age 11)
I love my kids.
They make me laugh.
Much like their father, they are all very inquisitive.
I couldn't help but chuckle when he asked me this question. I chuckled because all that he knows is the internet. He won't ever live in a world without the "information highway." I did. And it was fun. I immediately thought of the stories that he will tell his kids about their grandfather many years from now.
After I stopped laughing, I told him that we managed to have a bunch of fun without the internet or computers. I told him that I spent a lot of time outside. His eyes lit up! Much like me, he likes being outside. Back then...EVERYTHING happened outside. You were considered lame if you stayed in the house in the 80s. LOL
I also told him that because we were no cellphones for us to be glued to...we actually had to talk to the people who were in the room with us. There were no handheld electronics to occupy our time on the 10 hour drive from South Carolina to New Jersey every summer. But we spent our time learning about the cities on I-95. Since there was no GPS, I learned how to read a map. That was fun.
Things were simple then. For example, I loved talking on the phone. If my mom told me that I couldn't talk on the phone for a week, I'd be devastated. I spent hours talking on the phone to my homboys and my girlfriends. It didn't matter. It could be a conversation until 4am or falling asleep on the phone...only to be awakened by my mom yelling at me to get off the phone.
While it may be hard for them to fathom, I actually enjoyed life without the internet. While I enjoy the technology, I'll be the first to admit that it's changed the game. It's made us less humanistic and more robotic
And in many ways...less fun.
And bet' not be running in and out the house for a glass of water. Use the water hose.. ha ha!
ReplyDeleteFlorida sunshine living!
Hilarous, Tee! It was the same way for us growing up in South Carolina. In some ways, I never wanted to go in the house for fear my mom would tell me to stay inside. LMAO
ReplyDeleteI TOTALLY miss the days of not having cell phones. Life was richer in a sense. There was less rush and more time just savoring the moments as they arose.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in the south we had woods. Woods to carve out trails to friends hones. Woods to build shacks and call them a club house. Woods to war with rocks and mud clots. Now it's all concert and asphalt and you did of a heat stroke.
ReplyDeleteI miss those days too, Q. I remember going to a club about a year ago. I looked around and everybody was on their phones! Or they were taking selfies. Times have changed
ReplyDeleteI remember those days, Terry! We used wood for damn near everything! LOL
During the summer months, I'd literally leave the house in the early a.m. and not return until dinner time. My parents didn't mind as long as I left a note. My friends and I would be doing everything from playing football/baseball/roller skating/ and riding our bikes to the mall (crossing highways) and all. The arrive of the Ice Cream truck signified 'Half Time' but then we'd be right back at it after that! #iLoveThe80s
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