GorT’s second offspring celebrated her birthday over the weekend.  As part of it, we had a number of young teenage girls over at the house for cake and ice cream (that got ‘Puter’s attention).  As they got ready to sing Happy Birthday and then after the candles were blown out, I noticed that four of the seven were obsessively toying with their smartphones.  It was all innocuous – watching goofy YouTube videos, taking “selfies“, and other goofiness.  The remaining three, including my own daughter, continued to carry on conversations sometimes with the electronically addicted.  This is not to say that my child doesn’t have her bouts of electronic addiction but she is usually controlled when in group situations.

I have trouble forecasting what my daughter’s 18th birthday will be like.  Will there be real, personal conversation?  Will they be conversationally challenged (lest we use some non-political correct term for it as I’m sure there will be such a term int he future)?  Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bemoaning change and the adaptation of our children to different ways of processing information.  I think there will be some – for lack of a better word – evolution of how we process information and communicate in both volume and methodology.  I just hope that there is some semblance of manners and mutual respect that will persist.