Generational Gap.

WARNING: The following will make me sound reeeeally old. If your mental picture of me involves youth and vitality, stop reading now.

So after picking up the boys from school, we're on the drive downtown when #1 son asks me a question about movies. (I encourage an open dialogue with my kids -especially in the entertainment category.)

"Daddy, what movie did you like to watch over and over again when you were my age?"

Simple question, right? If I would have thought about it, I would have just said "Star Wars" and been done with it.

But nooooo. I have to explain to both of them that when I was their age, you couldn't just watch a movie over and over at your house whenever you wanted.

"But why not, Daddy?"

So I explain that when I was eight, there was no Internet, so we couldn't download a movie; no rack of DVDs because a) there were no DVDs and b) VHS tapes were like $60 a pop and you had to rent the player because they were to expensive to own; and we only had 12 channels, movies were only on Sunday nights and you didn't get to pick what it was.

The sheer look of horror on their faces was astounding - you think I had just told them I grew up before fire was invented.

They couldn't wrap their heads around the fact that there were limited entertainment choices and that if you didn't like what was on, you were out of luck. (Come on, you think I watched Return to Witch Mountain by choice?)

To them, I must have lived in an entertainment wasteland.

I love the fact that I can watch what I want, when I want to -  but there's something to be said for the days of racing home to be ready for when the movie starts, needing a electrical engineering diploma to hook up a VCR and a virginal sacrifice to set up and record a program.

We appreciated it more, dammit!

I think I'll start the "Walked uphill to school both ways" conversation next week...

Later.