The Times, They Are A-Changin'

Oh, yes, they are...but not enough for me to have another baby. It seems like only yesterday we were bringing Oldest Child and Youngest Child home from the hospital and buying all the new, handy gadgets that came along with newborn/toddler/small children. Because far be it from me to short-change my children in any way. But in the big scheme of life, TEN years is a lot of baby inventions. I've only been over here for less than twenty-four hours, and I've already noticed so much that my kids didn't have...not because they were deprived, but because it didn't exist, or it was too new and too expensive to buy.

Case in point, these babies have a video monitor in their room that I can use for my private detective agency when I retire. It swivels, it rotates, it moves all around...all with the touch of a button...and the babies don't even notice it's there. Yes, they had video monitors way back when, but they were gianormous and had a price tag to prove it.

Also, the sippy-cups are so new and improved that they have more than one piece to the lid and this slides into that and this locks here and you slide it there, and PRESTO, you have a leak-proof sippy-cup. Only problem is, you have to know what slides where and what locks to what in order to make it leak-proof. Probably a good thing Lynne still has some time left on her carpet cleaning warranty.

And the goodies that come in "bite size, easy to pick up pieces"...if all of this had been around way back when, my girls would be healthy eaters, not junk-food junkies. Bite size this, and finger size that, and steam-while-in-the-bag veggies...who'd-a-thunk??

Where on earth was On Demand when my girls were little and all I could amuse them with after hours was Sesame Street videos. Now, all you have to do is push a couple of buttons (have to ask Oldest Child because I'm still technogically challenged...) and you can have 24-hour Tom and Jerry cartoons. Your child addicted to Dora, click the button and you can finally get a 5-minute reprive...ANYTIME OF THE DAY you want it. Dora not scheduled to come on, click the button and there she is. It's amazing, I tell you. Not, however, amazing enough to make me want to go back and start over at square one, but amazing, nonetheless.

And I thought the diaper Genie and heated wipes were up and coming. I'll stick to my memories, come over here for a sippy-cup lesson, and stay on the count down until the Empty Nesting begins, thank you very much !