This Boomer Grandma has been contemplating lately, having lived almost 70 years, how technology and communication have changed and changes so rapidly that keeping up is a job in and of itself.
I saw the beginning of television and now wonder if television as we know it is going to be ending. I remember, as a child, sitting in front of the black and white television watching the test pattern waiting for Howdy Doody to begin. I remember our family having one of the first color televisions and the whole family in front of this amazing contraption, especially on Sunday nights, when there was a rare program on in color rather than black and white. Now I turn on my Smart TV (maybe if I can sometimes, or wait until Grandpa turns it on for me) and play on the computer screen or watch On Demand, a pre-recorded program, or Netflix rather than a show on one of the networks. I remember going to the movies as a child whenever, coming in at the middle of a film and staying for the afternoon. Now, we can watch movies on our computers or I Pads.
I remember my first pink princess phone as a birthday present in my childhood, in my own room, and such a luxury. I remember calling my parents from college from a pay phone only once a week because of the huge expense of making a long distance telephone call. I remember my first cell phone, the size and weight of a brick. I remember my first Blackberry, wondering if it was a blessing that I was able to have immediate contact with my office by email from anywhere. I remember the first flip cell phone, so small that it was always lost in my purse. I remember how Grandpa and I purchased the first version of a video telephone nearly thirteen years ago to be able to see our first grandson long distance. I remember my first I Phone and learning how to use it. I remember learning how to text or use Face Time for the first time. I remember my son-in-law introducing me to Twitter, and of course, setting it up for me. I remember my grandchildren introducing me to Instagram , and, of course, setting it up for me.
It seems that time and communication technology have moved quickly and even a short period of time can be very lengthy with regard to habits and means of communication, even between our daughters’ ages and span of only four years.
Our oldest daughter is only for about four years older than our youngest daughter, in her forties rather than thirties as is our younger daughter. However, our oldest daughter tends to telephone every day and we are able to communicate verbally to each other very often, sometimes more than once a day. She texts too, but more often than not, she telephones rather than texts. Our younger daughter tends to text every day. Sometimes, she texts several times a day. She telephones too, but more often than not, she texts rather than telephones. It is much harder to get our younger daughter on the telephone than our older daughter. If we call our younger daughter, more often than not, we receive a text reply. To her credit, the text reply is almost immediate, and telling us she is unavailable to talk at the moment.
This Grandma, of the telephone generation, loves hearing the voices of our children and grandchildren. There is something about inflection , tone, and mood, that gives us so much information, that texting does not. I feel that I learn more about what is going on and closer to what is going on from hearing a voice rather than reading a text.
Last night, I received a text from our younger daughter to which I wanted to respond verbally. I hate writing long texts and cannot imagine that this communication medium was meant for such. This Grandma, being of the telephone generation, immediately picked up the telephone to call back to give her the answer and discuss it with her. She answered the telephone call immediately and said that she would have to call me back because she was in the middle of watching a movie in a movie theater. She had texted me during a movie!
That is when I realized that I had one child of a telephone generation and one child of a text generation and they were not so far apart in age. My mother, GG (great grandmother) always told me that time moves faster as you get older. I do not think that even she could comprehend how quickly communication is moving and changing. We are now all of an era when time moves at spectacular speeds, and communication means and the computer we bought yesterday will be outdated tomorrow. The car that I’ve had for years does not resemble the new 2017 model cars that have safety features and communication techniques, even with the other cars on the road, that are beyond our comprehension, except from old science fiction movies.
And the speed of how our lives are changing now as we enter “young old” are such that we must adapt our communication techniques individually to each of our adult children, even as to what we can expect with regard to communication.
As working parents, our adult children are busy. As my younger daughter just told me, and I laughed as she did, she can text me at anytime, and at any place, and I should remember that she may not be in a place where she can talk, but she surely can text.
Then I realized that I have begun texting Grandpa from everywhere that I am, rather than telephoning. I may not be in a place where I can talk, but I surely can text.
But, with regard to my texting Grandpa, he bitterly complains that he does not have his phone with him everywhere at every place and that I cannot expect him to know that he has received a text from me. He, too, just said that he must start keeping his cell phone with him everywhere as I have seemed to join the texting generation.
I laughed. He expects a telephone call from wherever I am at anytime. May we Boomer grandmas call ourselves the communication sandwich generation? Forever young is my mantra!
Not only do we Boomer grandparents have to navigate the newest technology, we have to know which members of our family communicate with each version of the newest technology.
And it does not end with our adult children. We have to adapt our communication techniques with our grandchildren. With my grandchildren, I know to check Instagram, and the such. FaceTime is my favorite means of communication with them. Their faces are the ones that I want to see and hold most dear. I want to watch them dance and sing, and share their lives in full view.
I wonder about what will come tomorrow. I wonder when I have great grandchildren, if I will just be able to look in my palm and see their faces. Better, yet, touch them from long distance. You never know.
Joy,
Mema
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