telephone

Sometimes it slips my mind how old I really am. I know that I have 2 grown children (OK. And a third grader) but I just putt along and think I am somewhere between 25 and 35. And then I will remember something and it jolts me into my reality.

Like yesterday. Randy was on his cell phone. I was on my cell phone. Annie was on her cell phone. Besides thinking about brain cancer I had something else pop into my head.

When I was growing up there were not cell phones. There wasn't even caller ID or call waiting. Or answering machines. Or push button telephones. Or cordless phones. Back in the dinosaur days - we only had one phone line. I was so thrilled when my dad surprised me with my very own phone in my room. Of course, when a crazy ex-boyfriend would call at 3 a.m. the entire family knew about it.

Some things never change, like teenagers talking on the phone. And we did like to talk! And in my teeny tiny town if you talked on the phone for more than 5 minutes - the phone company would automatically disconnect you. And before that disappointing disconnect there would be a 60 second warning. And sometimes (usually) my mom would tell me that I could talk until the buzzer then I had to get off the phone.

And then somewhere far back in my brain I remembered that some families were lucky enough to have a "teenagers line." A phone line designated just for the kids. Then you could talk your heart out without a parent threatening you within an inch of your life to get off the phone.

I asked Annie if she knew what a "teenager line" was. Of course, she had no idea.

I just can't help to think how my life would have been as a teenager with a cell phone. But back then we were just thankful for not being eaten for lunch by a Tyrannosaurus rex .