Children Now and Then

Children Now and Then

Christy Kelly
Panzera
English 111 KC 100
15 February 2011
Childhood Now and Then
When analyzing growing up in rural North Carolina twenty-five years ago, it is easy to see the differences between then and the life that children know today. Among the differences are the use of land-line rotary phones then and the mobile technology today. Additionally, the availability and format of music has changed drastically, as well as the evolution of computers in everyday life. Our activities have transformed from playing outside to sitting inside playing video games. Movies have changed, in both content and in the way we retrieve these films. While fashion is always fashion, the ability to obtain “fashionable” products at reasonable prices is more prominent now than in years past. Essentially, growing up today as opposed to growing up on the 80’s is easier for children, socially, academically as well as physically.
When growing up in the 80’s using the phone was not such a simple task as it is today. Most homes had rotary phones with cords so speaking with friends meant most of the time parents were in ear shot. If expecting a call and someone was on the line, such as a sibling, you would have to negotiate, beg or plead for them to end their call so that the line would be available for your call to come through. There was no such thing as call waiting, if a call was expected around a certain time, kids had better be home to get the call or they would have to depend on an answering machine, that is, if your family had one. There was no caller id so people were not able to see what calls they missed. Children growing up now have the luxury of cell phones. Most people didn’t have their first cell phone until the early 90’s and it was in a bag. For children today, it is the norm to have a cell phone handy at all times. If kids don’t have one of their own they know that mom or dad is close by with a cell phone. For children growing up today there is no...

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