Times Changed

We are hosting a party for Joey later today. One of those 'friends and family' parties. There will likely be a lot of people in the house, a lot of food, reasonable amounts of beer and wine, and lots of laughter.

I love those kinds of parties. I cannot believe that Joey is 18. I have a fully functioning adult son. I know everybody says that time goes fast, but I look at sweet baby Harmony, who is 5 1/2 months, and I remember so much about when my kids were that age. It seems so recent.

Having taken care of two infants 18 years apart, I can tell you times have changed.

Eighteen years ago walkers had recently been outlawed in Canada. Exersaucers  were recently invented. We didn't have one. You still had to wind up an infant swing and the crank made so much noise that you would wake a sleeping baby in terror when you had to re-start it. We didn't have one of those, either.

Nobody blogged or tweeted or anything. I think I did my first internet search on Euthanasia at an internet cafe the year after Joey was born. I remember so clearly because I had a few hours to myself and I was working on a paper and had heard about this great new thing, the internet, and how you could do research on it.

I found nothing on Euthanasia. (Imagine that. I just did a quick search and got 10 200 000 hits in under 1 second.)

I remember that search so clearly because a guy tried to chat me up (I suppose I was still young enough to get chatted up in an internet cafe).

"Whatcha searchin'?" he asked.

"Euthanasia." It was a very convenient and conversation stopping reply.

Times have changed. Diapers have changed. Toys have changed.

I suppose I have changed, as well.