Rose Rennar
Mom | Writer | Guest Blogger
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The other day I was making dinner and my phone started going off. Someone was texting me and my hands were full so I asked my daughter to read the text to me so I could finish dinner. Right then and there I realized how different her life is going to be than mine has been. I have always thought about that, but in other ways. Each year she and I grow older together, but I never put much thought into the little things that were staples to my childhood that she will never understand or relate to.

I did the old lady, “In my day” speech, to which I got the confused and uninterested, “Cool Mom.” response back. The whole scenario made me laugh. Here are some “old” tech memories (or lack of) that I looked back on with a smile that I am sure some or all of you parents can agree with.

Landline Phones

I had to start with this one because my daughter was literally texting someone back for me as I finished dinner. She can’t even fathom how out of this world that concept would have sounded when I was her age. She will never know the feeling of the phone ringing and not knowing who is on the other end. She’ll never know the feeling of only being able to move within a three foot radius, at best, because the phone is connected to the wall. I’ll never be able to answer the phone and hear a quivering boy asking for her on the other end and give her a hard time about it. I still think that should be a rite of passage.

Phone Books & Prank Calls

Phone books were a staple of my childhood. As strange as that sounds these large yellow books provided so much entertainment as a child. Looking back they are probably the culprit of large amounts of deforestation but you don’t think of those types of things as a child. At least I didn’t, living in a desert and all. They were also how my siblings and I looked our friends up, looked up numbers for delivery and how we chose what lucky stranger was going to get prank called that day. We thought it was hilarious! We would call and ask for a silly name hang up and laugh until our stomachs hurt.

Okay, maybe this isn’t one I am too terribly upset she is missing out on. Still, to compare my generation with one that has everything the 5lb phone book carried (and more) in a small handheld device is astonishing.

1 hour photo

There are still disposable cameras but very few people use them. There really isn’t any point in paying $4.99 for a disposable camera. The days of not knowing what your photos looked like, or if they even came out until you took the camera to be developed are over. Our phones do this all instantaneously, which means the day of 1 hour photo are over. I actually bought a disposable camera this summer. Maybe it was a nostalgia thing, I don’t know. It was fun, but I didn’t realize there was no longer 1 hour photo until I went to Walgreens and the guy looked at me like I was crazy when I asked. He continued to make me feel rather silly by continuing with, “We haven’t for a long time.” Good to know.

Note Passing

Granted this is not exactly what I want my daughter doing in class, there was something oddly special about it. I had a shoebox full of fun notes from friends that I kept from school days. I am a fan of the written word. Regardless, note writing seems moot now. Instead of risking the teacher seeing you pass a piece of paper back and forth in class, (which usually ended up with that very note being read to the entire class) kids have phones on them now that make sending a message that much easier. The average age kids are getting their first smartphone is around 10 years old. So by 5th grade when things like note passing used to begin, there is a much easier option.

Banking

These are all simple, sweet memories from my childhood, but what about the things that aren’t quite age appropriate yet that she will never have to deal with? Banks and bank tellers are already fairly unneeded. Checks are deposited electronically and money can be transferred electronically. This is an extremely convenient change for me. Not having to take the time to go to the bank and stand in line when I could be home relaxing or doing any other number of things is really exciting. This is yet again another thing that smartphones have made irrelevant. All transactions can be done right from a telephone. Due to this drastic change cyber security has become an important topic of discussion.

Driving

Yes, even driving. The days of stressing over passing a driver’s test, and their safety once they start driving are just about over. BMW plans to have its self-driving cars out by 2020. Singapore has already released a self-driving car taxi service, and California has already said that self-driving cars will not need licensed drivers. These are extreme changes. This means in 3 years I could possibly send my daughter to get something for me from the grocery store without her ever having to touch the wheel or take a driver’s test. Granted this is history in the making, it also may be the solution to the 1.2 million traffic accidents a year worldwide, 90% of which are caused by human error. There is the issue of insurance with this new breakthrough though. If my daughter isn’t driving and something goes wrong and there is an accident who is at fault? All things that are currently being worked through but could in the end save so many lives. A thing of sci-fi films in my childhood will become a thing of the present in hers.

Shopping Malls

Speaking of driving, I can’t be the only one who had a pre-teen/teen phase of driving to the mall to “hang out” with friends. For some reason the mall was the place to go. Even that is changing drastically. There are less and less reasons to go to the mall, especially with the onslaught of the booming online shopping industry. When we were kids, online shopping wasn’t a thing–you would have to call a catalog or mail in an order, or visit a mall. But now, with the option to shop literally millions of retailers online, shopping malls are dropping in popularity.

Maps

Electronic GPS systems and smartphone apps have diminished the need for a paper maps. Even Dora the Explorer has a map-app on her phone instead of a map in her backpack. Road trips will never be the same, but the chances of getting lost now are slim to none. Many cars now come standard with GPS systems already installed in them, which will most likely become the norm.

As much as I love reliving the nostalgia of my childhood the technological advances that have been made since then are largely positive, and I could not be happier about the safer world my daughter will grow older in. That isn’t going to stop me from sharing the anticipation and fun of a disposable camera, the beauty of a brand new record, or the fun and simplicity of super Nintendo. These new games are far too confusing for my liking.

About Rose Rennar

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