Generation Gap
Mummy blogs…
On my way home just now, Nicole started to look around for my mobile in the car. I thought it was a good time to tell her that when I was growing up, there were no mobile phones.
And that started the Generation Gap…
Me: You know, when mummy was growing up, all the telephones were fixed in the house, or in the office. We couldn’t bring them out.
Nicole: HUH? Why?!?
Me: erm.. because the people were not so clever last time. They didn’t know how to invent such phones. So there are no phones in the car, and you can’t bring them everywhere you go.
Nicole: HUH? <pause> What happens if you want to use the phone when you are in the car?
Me: You have to stop the car by the road side, look for a phone by the road, put in a coin…
Nicole: oh…
That kinda got me going, so I started telling her about what life was like then…
Me: And, long ago, there were no air-con.
Nicole: THEN?
Me: It was so hot. We had to use fans only. No one had air-con
Nicole: Then do the people know how to spell AIR-CON?
Me: ?!?!?!
Me: When mummy was growing up, our TV was black and white.
Nicole: What is that?
Me: Everything on TV was black & white. There was no colour. So Dora was black & white, Strawberry Shortcake was black & white, and Barbie was black & white.
Nicole: HUH? <giggle giggle>
Me: During Popo’s time, there was NO TV at all!
Nicole: HUH? So boring! Then what do they do?
Me: They played games like hopscotch…
Nicole: Ohhh… they played on their PSP?
Me: ?!?!?!!
We went on for a while chatting about how long ago there were no cars, people walked to school or to work. And if it was really far, they took horses. (I know, I know, my ‘long ago’ time frame was rather fluid… I just wanted her to realize how blessed she was)
Well, we got home. The conversation stopped for a while. As we were getting ready for bed, she asked the final question for the night:
Nicole: Mummy, long ago, did you have food???
How’s that for successfully bringing across how blessed she was? Haha! I think her mind must be filled with horror thoughts of the past—no TV, no PSP, no cars, no air-con and even no food! 
ED is a Daddy Blogger who has 3 Kids. This blog is about his journey as a parent, and about the many parenting insights and discoveries he makes along the way. 
February 5th, 2010 at 2:05 am
What an interesting conversation!
February 5th, 2010 at 2:43 am
Amazing how there are generations of people that will not have know life with digital media (iPod/mp3 players, smart phones, emails, internet) or microwave, GPS and list goes on! Life was simpler back in the day
Ah…
February 5th, 2010 at 12:42 pm
Nic is sooooooooooooo adorable! Her “Huhs?” are too cute! Hahaha!
February 6th, 2010 at 12:03 am
Kids ask the funniest questions! Nicole’s aircon question is so amusing… And so unrelated to what u were trying to tell her!
February 6th, 2010 at 1:52 am
this is so so so funny! I almost choked on my food because I was laughing all the way…interesting…
February 9th, 2010 at 6:28 pm
LOL! Always amazed by those innocent little questions! Did you tell her about the pager??
There’s this small antique shop at Kallang Leisure Park. Think it’ll blow their minds away!
February 10th, 2010 at 4:10 pm
This is so funny!!! I think it must be really hard for children these days to imagine what what our growing up days were like.
More like I Love Lucy and Mary Poppins!
Btw, I don’t think there was even Dora, Strawberry Shortcake and Barbie in those days
February 11th, 2010 at 12:42 am
Haha…glad u liked it!
Well, at least Nicole knows the Sound of Music, cuz she watched it recently!
Tks for your comments!