Hello, Is Anybody In There?

A phone call with my son tonight reminded me of how technologically different our generations are.

I am a child of the landline era. When the phone rings, I pick it up, and expect to hear voices on the other end. If I don't hear voices when I pick it up I assume one of two things has happened. Either the line is dead, or its a prank call. Either way after a couple of seconds of silence I hang up.

My kids, however, are children of the wireless age. They're used to dropped calls, static calls and dead air on phone lines.

When I answer the phone I expect somebody on the other to talk.

Tonight on my way to work, my phone rang. It was my son. How do I know this? Because he told me it was. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Hello"

Matt: (After 5 seconds of dead air) "Dad?"

Me: "Yes"

Matt: (More dead air) "This is Matthew."

Me: "Yes Matthew, I know that. The caller ID told me that."

All my conversations with my son are this way. He seems  surprised every time somebody answers the phone when he's calling, and he's not sure how to go on with the conversation.

Sometimes I feel that my children are the ones who are new to this whole cellular technology thingy while I am the person who knows all about it. It seems to catch them by surprise every time they successfully use it. Unless it's a video game.

photo credit: peddhapati via photopin cc