Things that were part of our everyday lives ....

[Daisy]

We know today's youngsters are very tech savvy - how many of us have asked our grandchildren to help with the tv, the computer or our phones? But I was quite amused to see some of the things we are/were familiar with which they can only guess about:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-43896480

[Oma]

Give them a cassette and they have no idea what to do with it
Same with cars our Grandsons cant believe we had to wind windows down and we didn't have Sat nav , B showed oldest a AA road map book a while ago and he howled with laughter ,
You didn't have TV remotes ? so how did you change channels? well we got up and turned a knob
If you didn't have Sky what did you watch ? well the Three channels we had , my goodness when we told them that they were gob smacked

[Mimi]

When eldest GS was about 5 (16 now ) OH was playing some long player vinyl records.
GS said. “Wow, that’s a big cd grandad “

[Gemini]

As mine are 8, 5 and just 2, I haven't had to ask them for much technical help yet.
However, I have no idea how to operate the complicated TV system at DD1's house, so GS, aged 5, always does it for me

I think they would be most amused by some the the things we had, and yes, having to get up and switch TV channels, horror!!

[Nanto2girls]

Oma, our GC were amazed when we told them we can remember only having 1 channel. That was the BBC.

[Gemini]

... and in black and white Nan2!

[Mimi]

My little GC can't understand how having a fire indoors didn't burn the house down

[Oma]

My youngest GS asked once , " Nana when you were little and you were all Black &White , well when did they invent colour ?" He didn't realise only TV was Black & White

[Daisy]

I tried to explain to GD1, aged 7, about not having a phone at all, or, if you were lucky, having a party line. I gave up, because she doesn't even 'get' landlines - her mum and dad only have mobiles! I also tried to explain why we sometimes say "dial such and such a number".

[WeeGranny]

Try explaining gas lights! Oh and outside toilets!

[Daisy]

WeeGranny - Oh dear, I wouldn't know where to start.

But I can see how our GCs don't understand. When I was little and saw old news clips/movies etc which were very jerky, I thought that was how people walked in those days!!!

[Shemadee]

I can remember having a gas geyser for hot water in the kitchen. My mum burned her eyebrows off lighting the d**n thing! Bath time meant lighting a fire to heat up the hot water in the back boiler which would have been a luxury for one of my cousins. They had one cold water tap and a tin bath that was hanging by the back door. Not sure how the families would cope now in an unheated bathroom with a very limited hot water supply! Not sure how I would cope either!

[Daisy]

Shem, I remember when I was about 5 my parents were house/business hunting - they were looking for a shop with accommodation. We looked at one place that I thought was wonderful because it had a water pump in the back yard. No water at all inside the house. I couldn't understand why my mother was less keen!!!!