First published June 23, 2010
Remember the phone number prefix Melrose or Fleetwood? If you do, then you were probably born before 1960. I remember our number was Melrose (ML) 22962. We had the big old heavy black rotary phone. That phone was heavy enough to be used as a weapon if anyone broke in. The clicking sound as you dialed was very soothing. The receiver was nice and big and easy to hold and you knew right where to talk into it. We had a party line like most people in the 50s, and you knew your ring: 2 shorts and a long or 3 shorts. You could eavesdrop on someone’s line if they didn’t hear you pick up, but I never did that! I miss those old phones … and we only had one in the house and it was attached with a cord so you couldn’t carry it around. They even made little phone tables for them — very stylish.
I remember when the push button phones came about and it was kinda cool with the assorted colored phones. You could get a “princess phone” which even came in pink! There were phones that hung on the wall and had the push buttons in the handle which was very modern at the time.
Then of course cordless came along and — wow! — you could carry it everywhere. We have one that I think is about 25 years old and we just retired it to the upstairs hall. Still works, but won’t stay charged.
And now we all have cell phones — I still have a couple of friends who refuse to get one just on the principle of the thing. Who needs to be found every moment of every day? I, of course, need my cell phone and now that I’ve had one over 5 years, I wouldn’t go without one, but they are annoying. I can barely see the numbers to dial and it has all kinds of functions and icons on the screen that I have no idea what they mean and I have no intention of learning. As long as I can get my messages and make calls to the family, I’m content with what little I know. My brain can’t hold another set of instructions. If these phones get any smaller we won’t be able to find them at all.
Do you realize that so many people don’t have land lines now, and there is no directory to find them?
And where did phone booths go? Superman would be hard-pressed to find one now. Even the few pay phones left in the world rarely work — and how much is a call now?
And please don’t get me started on texting — I don’t want to learn and I don’t want to do it. My son only texts people — I don’t think he ever actually talks to his friends.
Update 2024: I now have an iPhone like most everyone (it’s old at 7) but it still works and I’ve never cracked it’s screen, lost it or dropped it in the toilet (knock on wood!). Mostly because I seldom carry it on my person — my daughter had to buy clothes with big pockets so she is never without hers. I only use it to call or text people and it takes darn good pictures. It’s a shame I seldom use my good 35mm camera because of that.
I still don’t know what all those icons mean on it and I really don’t want to learn. I’m on Facebook, but seldom post and just want to see photos of what my grandkids are up to this week and what my country cousin Barbara cooked for dinner (I love fried okra).
My weekly usage report says I average 30 minutes a day usually. When I go into a doctor’s office and see everyone, but everyone, on their phones, I wonder what is so fascinating. I’d rather talk to a person sitting near me or check out a magazine.
It makes me crazy when I see couples out having dinner and both are on their phones — I bet they’re texting each other.
My biggest pet peeve is people texting while driving or sitting at a stop light and not looking up until the light has turned red and you’re afraid to honk or they might shoot you! Also pedestrians walking down the street or crossing the street looking at their phones — no wonder so many pedestrians hit by cars.
I’m afraid our young people are going to never learn how to have a really good conversation with their fellow man.
Unfortunately, I usually only just get short grunt responses from my teenage granddaughter, but my 10 year old grandson talks my ear off (no cell phone yet). I miss the great conversations I had with my granddaughter when she was 3 or 4 and we were sitting in her tent in the playroom— she told me she wanted to be an astronaut and go to Mars or a crop duster (her Dad had a single-engine plane).
Now the big controversy is cell phones used by students in the classroom. The parents want to be able to contact the child if pick up has changed or in emergencies. My suggestion is to hang shoe holders on the back wall of the classroom with enough shoe slots to hold their phone (names on the slots). At breaktime or recess they can check their phones — otherwise no phones at their desks. If the class is large it’s gonna be a congested mess at the shoe holders, but most classrooms nowadays don’t have huge amounts of students — unlike when I was teaching in the 70s and averaged 35 to 40 kids per classroom. Another problem is cyberbullying and it’s a shame that kids can text horrible things to each other that they could never say out loud.
Anyway, even though cell phones keep us in touch with our loved ones and friends, we need to stop and look around and appreciate our surroundings — hear the birds chirp or the old saying stop and smell the roses!