There have been several articles in the paper lately on teens, even preteens, and technology and how parents can handle it, even control it.  I guess this is a result of Christmas presents of iPhones, smartphones and video technology.  Limiting the use of such devices has become a hot topic of parenting today.  And things have become drastic, between the kids and the adults.  Parents in California were acutally drugged with sleeping medication by their daughters after the parents forbid texting after 10 pm.  Desperate measures but digital addiction has been identified as a real problem.    

Our parents didn't have this worry, we didn't even have a TV until almost everyone on the block did.  Even our grandparents, who lived next door, had one before us.  It stood downstairs, in the dining room, and we sat around the dining room table and watched Jackie Gleason, one of Poppy's favorites.  Poppy even adopted one of his famous phrases "what's that slop you're eating?  when he saw the plates in front of us that Grandma had filled for us.

My best friends Barbara and Charlene had TV's before us, and I watched The Big Top circus show at Barbara's house every Saturday and I Love Lucy at Charlene's house.  When we finally did get a TV there was no concern of watching it too much.  Mostly, because there was only 2 channels and a limited amount of viewing you could do.  Ernie Kovacs was on in the morning, with a little witch puppet that we loved.  There were puppets then on tv, Kukla Fran and Ollie, Sherri's little lamb, every kid show had at least one puppet.  I don't think kids even know what puppet are today.  Anyway, as more shows came on, tv became an issue.  Not so much as how many hours were spent in front of it, as to how close you were sitting to it, with fears of sterilization, ruined eyesight, and worse in the future. 

Technology has surely come a long ways in my lifetime, but I can't say anything is any better.  Today the channels number into the thousands, on every subject and cablevision now costs us more than electric and heat total for the year.  Any there is never anything on that you want to watch.  I don't own a cell phone, and probably never will.  I would like to get rid of our one phone on the kitchen wall, for that matter.  With the Bird's Nest closed for winter most of my calls are about my credit, do I want my chimney cleaned and what do I think of single sex marriage.  Technology my foot.