My grandfather and the ipad is like watching a dinosaur ride a hoverboard
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My grandfather and the ipad is like watching a dinosaur ride a hoverboard. No joke. Can you imagine? Technology fascinates my grandparents. They are constantly telling my son how they were lucky to have shoes and food when they were growing up, never mind an Xbox and an ipad. This past weekend my son showed my grandfather how to race on a motorcycle and create a Minecraft home. Isn’t he the cutest (both of them)? I happened to have my camera (I was sitting at the kitchen island watching them) so I snapped this picture. My son loves to show him how to play games. My son sometimes thinks my grandfather is kidding when he says things because it seems to far fetched to my son that my grandfather has no clue about the electronics. I know my grandfather is serious (he really doesn’t know) but my son thinks he is just joking and being silly. In his mind, “how could he not know what Minecraft is?” I am so happy that he has this experience of learning about how different life was so many years ago.
My grandfather loves to watch him play and laughs at all the funny expressions and noises my son makes while playing. My son asked my grandfather if he wanted to try and at the first finger swipe, my grandfather jumped backed and laughed as the ipad screamed out a sound saying, “wow good job as the motorcycle jumped off a cliff!” I personally think we should buy my grandparents one to share and see who uses it the most. Although, that would just give them something else to fight about so maybe that isn’t a good idea. -ha.
My grandparents have seen a lot in the last 80+ years and for them growing up in the depression, this lifestyle today is completely different. My parents finally came into this century upgrading their cell phones from a flip to iphones a couple years ago but they don’t seem to be as intrigued with the technology. My dad would be happy to never answer any phone for the rest of his life. -ha. My grandparents though, their eyes light up when they see the laptops, phones and tablets. They genuinely are interested and enjoy learning about them. It’s amazing the generational gap between the kids and my grandparents. My son finds it amazing that my grandfather didn’t have electricity when he was little. In fact, my son didn’t quite grasp that concept until we lost power last winter during a snow storm and couldn’t use any of his electronics. I remember my grandfather telling him, “see kid, this is what my life was like as a kid.” You can find more family and multigenerational posts on our multigenerational living page.
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What started as a hobby, Jessica’s blog now has millions of people visit yearly and while many of the projects and posts look and sound perfect, life hasn’t always been easy. Read Jessica’s story and how overcoming death, divorce and dementia was one of her biggest life lessons to date.
I love your blog and love hearing about your family. Having all of you living together may have its’ difficulties, but the positives totally outweigh the negatives. Your grandpa is so cute,, I hope his health is good!
I’ll keep engaged with you and your family
Hi Linda, thanks so much for stopping by and your sweet words 🙂 My gramp is doing better and his diabetes is so far, ok. The new meds seem to be helping. Yes, we definitely have our moments of chaos/issues but for the most part, we are ok. -ha. Although, I think my mom was ready to strangle my gramp today but that’s a story for another day! haha
I know the feeling of ur grandparents that’s how I feel a lot of times when it comes to computers and such. I remember my great grandmother who died at 101 when I was a senior in high school, she was born 10 yrs after Lincoln got shot, she was around to see the Wright brothers flight and to see a man walk on the moon. I was always so fascinated by that.
101 that is amazing! My great gram died when I was in high school too so I know what you mean about being fascinated with your elders. I remember thinking she was so fun and so smart 🙂 I always loved her stories. I found it especially fascinating that she was born in the 1800’s. You are so lucky to have those memories. I have so many friends who didn’t even know their grandparents. We are blessed for sure ;).
I know what you mean my 87 year old mum loves talking to my 14 and 16 year old grandaughters,they talk about when she was young ,paraffin lamps cooking on a range and keeping hens and pigs and my dad growing veg for the pot ! She loves their nail varnish and hair and makeup and music ,she is a font of information for them,I love that they are close they know their roots and how my parents had to work so hard to bring up five children .at the end of the war when food was rationed here in Scotland,she told them when they got married people saved their sugar so they could get a wedding cake ! It is a different world for them,and I still can’t work my I pad you need a child for these things x
That is so cool that the kid have your mom around too! I bet they love hearing the stories. I think it’s so important for family to know their previous generation if possible. 🙂
another winner.. I so enjoy when you share your grandparents and son stories.
Thanks Brenda 🙂 I need to share more of them!
Sweet to see your grand and son together.
But have to laugh. My kids never could get it that when my family moved into our home in Mass. 1950, it had no electric, a big black wood burning cookstove i n the kitchen and big black parlor stove —and that was all the heat. The curtains froze to the windows in our upstairs bedrooms, even aftet the furnace was installed with no heat vents upstairs–since heat rises, dontchaknow?
And the bathroom was a three hole “outhouse” in the basement and we had to prime te kitchen pump to get water. Those were the days in a house built around 1900 and never updated.
Amazing how life has changed, but i’m with your dad….all those electronics..yeetch!
Bet he wouldn’t give up central heat though, would he? LOL
Thanks for sharing your story. It brings back memories and reminds me that each generation has something valuable to share with the others……
Best wishes to you and all your extended family……
Thanks so much for sharing your story 🙂 It’s always fun to hear others memories. Yes, my grandfather will probably never grasp the concept of all the electronics but he sure does like learning about them 🙂
Precious! I love to hear these stories!
🙂