Baby Blues by Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott for July 25, 2024

Wife and I like a small fire….

They’re watching the bird feeder and the butterfly feeder and birds that eat butterflies.

Most notably, Wanda and Darryl are enjoying 5 minutes without kids.

Well, kids, we remember a life without those things. If I were Wanda and Darryl, I might introduce them to 60’s TV from my DVD collections. Let them see what a rotary phone looked like and how you used it. And how when it rang you just picked it up not knowing who it was until they answered your “hello?” Maybe teach them how to play some board and card games.

Wait 60 years

Until you become adults yourselves. It’s the way of the world.

Life was more simple before the digital world came along.

Living happily away from those distractions, kids!

Comes a time, kids…comes a time….

The modern generation gap.

Oh, it’s pretty easy. There was no phones, TVs or video games when they were kids!

I overheard a conversation with the new intern yesterday. He had never seen a cassette tape. Ever. The rest of us all felt immensely old.

There are a number of TikTok vids about getting teenagers to try and figure out old pieces of kit and how they worked. Some of them are quite amusing to watch as they’re baffled by what they are and how they work

Built finger strength using a manual type writter.

They’re having the right idea, kids.

And more importantly, without KIDS, because they know that without TV or phones you won’t hang around.

I’ll take a sparkling water with lemon.

You’ll understand when you become one. I was a telephone operator and then worked on accounts for college students. I couldn’t wait to get home and enjoy the peace and quiet….and especially, not talking to anyone!!!

I can easily occupy myself if I have no phone or other electronics.

sheesh… adults these days… I dunno….

Did they have to walk twenty miles (uphill both ways) in a blizzard before they could enjoy the evening?

We can also read books without pictures!

For being in the middle of summer, they’re all looking very pasty. What level of sunscreen do they use?

“Without phones or TV?” They’re enjoying the evening and each other’s company, kids. No pressure to do anything, no sterile electronic stimulation. Just a pleasant breeze, the sounds of crickets, watching the sky gradually grow darker and the stars beginning to appear.

When I was a boy one of our neighbors had a screened-in back porch. Many summer evenings he would be sitting out there watching a ball game on his 19 inch portable teevee.

Especially without phones and TV.

Ahh, the time before noise. What a time it was.

No, you will not necessarily understand at a later age.

As a nearly-senior adult, just sitting and doing nothing has never appealed to me. While a lot of people consider something like relaxing in a beach chair a little bit of heaven, I could stand maybe 5 minutes of it before I’d be off combing the beach for shells or something.

I can definitely sit still and be patient, but it’s not something I choose as a leisure activity in and of itself.

When I was a kid I do not remember my parent’s sitting out on front porch or back yard at all, even growing up they never did. There was no books either. No cable or internet. Then when I married with our kids, a homeowner water their lawn that water ran on the street, both mine be over there playing in the water. My daughter in diapers had them off. I watch them. My kids are older and do not sit outside. Me I do sit outside and read a book. My husband rarely sits outside.

At 78, I don’t recall any kids ever,addressing their parents as “You guys” Other very disrespectful things, yes,just not that.

Even about 20 years ago I remember me and my then husband going over to my parents house for supper than all five of us ( parents, then husband and me and my sister) sitting outside on their back deck just enjoying the night, watching the stars and just talking, even though we all had computers we still found time to spend as a family without them. I sure miss those days.

Sounds like me but add a book ( I’m only 13!)

Where is the Alcohol?