Grandkids are great for reminding you that you are out of date. They think my truck is really old because you have to turn a crank to raise or lower a window. My car is old-timey, because I have to shift the gears by hand. It is also really small when compared to the SUV the kids ride it at home.

They have noted that my TV does not have closed caption, and the screen isn't flat. The stove in our kitchen has spiral coils for burners, and the refrigerator doesn't always dispense crushed ice when it should.

They also note that there is no king sized bed in any of our bedrooms, and most of the beds are covered with quilts instead of bedspreads.

Our mailbox is made of metal instead of plastic, and there is a crack in the concrete driveway.

But they still come to visit. They like those old-fashioned homemade bisquits, and a garden where you can pick something and eat it the same day. Grandparents often have big yards and funny pictures of Mom and Dad when they were kids. Grandma even keeps big fluffy pillows that are nice to lean on when you sit on the floor to watch that old-time TV.

They also like the stories about the days when we people didn't have computers or television. Kids played outside in the yard all day and sometimes even made their own toys. They like to hear about when people rode the bus to town or a train to go on vacation. They listen intently when they hear about a time when there were no Wal-Marts or supermarkets, and people bought gas at a service station instead of a convenience store. They almost can't believe that Cokes and candy bars were a nickle, and a dime would buy enough candy to make you sick.

And I almost can't believe how much their generation has traveled, and how much they understand about anything electronic. So I guess it all comes out even.
Howard