Times change

Obviously the only constant in our lives is change. However, I've been thinking a bit lately about how different life will be for my kids than it was for me. I jotted down a few things that maybe our kids just won't understand ...

• Our TVs had four channels: NBC, CBS, ABC and Fox. Oh, I guess there was PBS, too, but it never had anything good on. At Christmas time the TV schedule was a big deal in my house -- we got the newspaper insert that had all the Christmas specials that would play during the season, and we made sure we watched them. We had no way of recording them or watching them later, so catching them on the scheduled night was a must!
• Speaking of recording, we were very early in the VCR purchasing, and our first VCR had a remote control with a cord attached from the remote to the VCR. We thought that was VERY cool.
• Kids will never understand why we cringe at the thought of foil in our mouths. Or why we have so many silver teeth, for that matter.
• Kids will never remember a world without AIDS like we can.
  
• They also will never remember a world without the Internet. I came home from my mission and saw commercials with things like www.pizzahut.com. I had to ask someone what that meant!
• Kids will never appreciate (or dislike) libraries like we did. They don't understand how cool it was to understand and use a card catalog or why encyclopedias were such a big deal.
• Kids won't understand film. I'm glad to be done with it myself!
• Kids won't understand why being lost at Disneyland or having a flat with no spare in the middle of nowhere was such a big deal. "Why didn't you just text someone on your cell phone?" Yes, children, that's right -- we didn't have cell phones! And how did cell phones get so small, anyway?
• Kids won't understand the luxury of pausing/saving video games. I can't tell you how many times I was doing well on Yars Revenge (Atari) when it was time for dinner and I had to start over the next time.
• Kids won't understand how we knew many of the celebrities' names. Hello -- there were only so many. Celebrities were real stars. Now there are so many, who can keep them straight? (And who cares to?!?)
• Privacy issues have changed. It used to be that your neighbors knew everything about you and strangers didn't. Now strangers can know everything about you (via Internet) and your neighbors may not even know your name.
• Identity theft is a new threat. I used my social security number as my ID number at BYU and had the number printed on my checks so I didn't have to write it on there every time I wrote out a check. Ouch!
• Credit cards were not so prevalent. People actually saved up to buy things they wanted. Hopefully this economic slowdown will remind people of that idea. :)
• You could find anyone in the phone book. And there was only one phone book. Now it's a gamble on whether or not you'll find the number you're looking for -- I generally go to the Internet first since it's easier.
• Kids won't understand why it was such a big deal to lose a contact.
• We now have about one phone per person in the house (no rotary phones, mind you). Sometimes I'm so lazy at my parents' house that I call my little brother in the basement instead of walking down the stairs to say something to him.
• Speaking of laziness, I think our society accepts laziness more. Ugh!
• And love letters are all but obsolete. Fortunately long-distance couples have web cams, e-mails and phones ... but there would be something nice to have love letters to refer back to. (Hint, hint Paul ... :)