I have never been one to think of myself as old. I am nearly 35--and don't really care about the number. I feel good about myself and how I am taking care of my body. Are there things that I could do better? Of course--give up Dr. Pepper (not gonna happen), exercise more (not in my current pregnant state), sleep more (working on this one with my constant need to sleep), and the list goes on. But, age is just a number. Right?
The other night my daughter put things in perspective for me. I listened and kind of chuckled in the fact that it must be the same for those of older generations than me. There are third graders with cell phones--gasp! Makes me kind of cringe in one way but not in another. We are mobile people and need to be able to communicate with our children. But, what happened to landlines? They cost too much for many families. We have gone to a Verizon version of a home phone to save $$$$. But, we still have a home phone. So many families don't have home phones anymore.
Kenz was asking me when I got my first cell phone. And, my response of 17 years old was astonishing to her. Then, telling her that it was not my phone but one for my mom and I to share the whole 40 minutes a month was almost out of this world. Mackenzie couldn't grasp the concept that 40 minutes included any calls to me and from me. In other words, YOU DIDN'T DARE USE THE PHONE unless you were dying or had been in a car wreck. And, the car better not be drivable! Mackenzie then proceeded to say, "If you couldn't talk on the phone, did you just text your friends?" Uh, no such thing as texting unless that meant some funky message left in numerals via pager. She looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language--PAGER? I told her that we would have to call a number and enter a phone number for my friends to call me back. But, they would then have to wait until they got home or saw a pay phone to call me back--and one always kept a quarter in their pocket! What a concept! Her next question was in regards to the pager, "Why didn't you just email them with your message? Then, they could have gotten the email on their phone." Makes sense, huh? Oh yeah, no such thing as email! AOL was just beginning to hit it big time when I was in high school and college--Prodigy and AOL were SLOW because we had to dial up. And, one could not take up the home phone line online while chatting with their friends.
When did I get this old? Having kids definitely puts things in perspective. As for my kiddos--NO CELL PHONES anytime soon. I am your mother, and I will know where you are at most times. And, you can talk on our home phone whenever you want!!
Any of you had the experience of feeling OLD in the matter of minutes? And, my 34 1/2 year old self feels young at heart! Old cell phone stories and all!
