Admittedly, our children and grandchildren know more about technology than we do. They can play enormously sophisticated video games. They know how to Snapchat and TikTok, they can upload photos on iCloud and text using their watch. They can pay for a purchase in the store just . . . just by thinking about it.
But there are plenty of things I can do that they can't. And plenty of things I know that they don't. They're not smarter than I am. My skills are more like fine wines . . . they've been aged and matured and are only appreciated by the, uh, the cognoscenti.
For example . . .
I know how to iron.
I remember my telephone number when I was a kid: PE8-3840, no area code needed. My kids don't know anyone's telephone number. All they know is how to tap in a name.
I can balance my checkbook.
I don't know a Mocha from a Macchiato or a Costa Rica Naranjo from a Sumatra Clover. But I do know how to make instant coffee.
I know how to write cursive . . . and I know what cursive means!
My kids might be able to name the band members of Glass Animals or Chubby and the Gang. But I know the names of The Mamas and Papas. And the first names of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
I can drive a stick shift.
I can fold a newspaper in half, and then halves again, so it doesn't hit your seatmate in the face on the bus or commuter train.
I know how to play Scrabble (but not Wordle).
I can read a map.
I know what Mercurachrome is . . . and still have some in the bathroom medicine cabinet.
Okay. Your turn. What useless skill -- or useless knowledge -- can you brag about?
20 comments:
My God, I am so incredibly impressed! I am speechless! Hahaha.
Fun post. I laughed at iron but you make wonderful points and pretty much described my super powers too. My phone number when I was 10 was 744W:) Cursive will someday be studied like hieroglyphics are today.
Too funny Tom--well I can type with ALL my fingers very fast (not just 2 thumbs on a smartphone). I can calculate a 15 or 20% tip in my head without pulling out a phone with a calculator app. And speaking of phones, I can go the ENTIRE day without picking mine up and scrolling thru Instagram or Facebook :^)
Well, I also know Gregg shorthand, which I used for years. And can type faster than 100 wpm, for all the good it does me these days. :-)
My childhood phone number was Audubon 1634... and I knew how to play outside only using my imagination. But I do know what a Mocha Frappuccino is... and like them!!
I know how to read a map, cook without a recipe, sew on a button and fix almost anything with duct tape. ;-)
I know a party line didn't involve multiple people having a party.
I can make white or cheese sauce, cut up a chicken, hem up a pair of jeans. I can play spades well, with real cards. I do play scrabble and Wordle - which is like Mastermind with letters. WH(itney) 1-6438.
And remember - we had phone books; we could look up people's home phone numbers. And their address. And if early enough, their parents occumpations.
Unfortunately, I've forgotten everybody's phone number now because they're on my iPhone. Sigh... And my memory is fading and I can't remember band members' names. Hey... and I love WORDLE. Sigh... I never could drive a stick shift. My husband gave up teaching me when I went over the bump in the parking stall. Oops! And what is it with schools taking out handwriting (in print) or cursive from their curriculum? I had to teach my granddaughter myself.
You remind me of some good memories like the music we listened to and the simple technology we had to use. My phone number was 16-2 which stands for line 16 and two short dingles on the party line.
This is so clever. You are such a great writer.
I can check and add fluids to my car and change a tire if I have to. Linda in Kansas
I can look at a tire and know it's low without relying on the car sensor. I can read a map and plan a route before embarking on a trip. North, south, east and west are always in the same direction unlike left & right. I know where the off button is on media devices and I'm not afraid to use it. I can go outside and check the weather without looking at an app. I can add layers of clothes when I feel cold vs turning the thermostat up.
I love this post! When kids are complaining about their parents' lack of tech knowledge, I always point out that they themselves did not know how to use a bathroom, or eat, or dress themselves, until their parents undertook long, patient and caring sessions of teaching them. Sometimes they even acknowledge that they hadn't thought of that. As for me, I can assess overcrowded closets and figure out ways to store extra things to open up some room. In fact, I just did this for my sister who recently moved from a large house into a condo. She needed help with that, but she is terrific at everything in the kitchen!
Nina
Linda, I am very impressed by your car-repairs skills -- they're better than mine. And Mona, I love your statement: "I know where the off button is on media devices and I'm not afraid to use it."
I can diagram sentences and name parts of speech, which seems pretty useless. I can balance my check book but I recently decided I could just trust the bank and not waste my time looking for mistakes I made.
I can take Pitman shorthand.
I can place a needle on an LP album and play music the old fashioned way on a record player!
I can speak to the cashier at the grocery store
I can have small talk with the waitress or waiter.
I can make a pot of brown beans and cornbread and have no need for door dash.
I can hang clothes on a clothes line.
I can send a birthday card through the mail.
I can pull out my old VCR and play a VHS tape.
I can plant a vegetable garden and produce fresh food.
I can look up words in the dictionary on my bookshelf.
I’m a baby boomer through and through ❣️
Oh, this was such a fun post. When you look at life this way it is so much more interesting. You view the tricks you have mastered but are no longer needed , and the tricks you haven't mastered that you don't even care about. Loved it.
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