Technology And Grandchildren

Do you remember when you talked to your kids in baby talk?  You know, “Goo, goo” and “Gaa Gaa” while making faces and smiling like a Chessir cat.  Grandparents are even worse.  They have a PhD in grandbaby communication.  (Often I wonder if the baby wonders why people speak to them in a strange language which is not spoken to other people.  But I digress.)

Recently I was sitting at the Pittsburg airport waiting for my plane to board.  Of course there is the full spectrum of different kinds of people in the waiting area.  In the middle of all these people was a grandcouple.  They appeared to me educated, well-to-do people who were smartly dressed.  What caught my attention as that both had their faces pressed close to an iPhone while FaceTiming with their granddaughter.  And yes, they were fluently speaking baby talk as fast as they could.  Suddenly when the FaceTime was over, their facial expression and demeanor became similar to the crowd.   It was a bit awkward being a part of this private family conversation.  But it is wonderful to see this couple be so personal in the midst of so many strangers.

Technology can be personal.  We are only beginning to see the ways that technology can help us have more personal lives.