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telephones

Most Saturdays we get a 15-30 minute from two of our great-nephews. They're about 3 and 4. Today they "discovered" the telephone (yes, we still have a land line) that is in plain sight on the kitchen bar. They've walked by it multiple times, but maybe it was too close but yet still too high from their eye level. But for whatever reason, they saw it today, were greatly puzzled, and wanted to know "What is that?"

Within five minutes of that conversation, the telephone rang, which it has never done in their presence before. Their eyes got very big, and widened even larger when I picked up the receiver and said "hello."  And then things got a little interesting. It was for Bobby, who had been playing in the toy room and was trapped there by all the toys scattered around his chair. I asked our pastor to wait a minute, told the four year old "Do NOT touch that" and left the room knowing he most likely would. Within the few seconds it took to scoot toys and Bobby to head toward another room, they not only had the phone, but were talking to our pastor and HUNG UP! For some bizarre reason, he stayed on the phone a few more seconds and it didn't disconnect. Thankfully!

So then they headed to the study where Bobby was, and I could hear the questions: Is that a phone, too? Are you talking to someone Uncle Bobby? and I'm in the other room trying not to laugh. I finally corralled them back into the living room, but I fear our playtime got a little loud, making it next to impossible to hear. But they walked by both phones a few times the rest of the time with their little heads cocked to the side, as if trying to figure out this strange contraption that had a funny coiled tube attached to it. I had never really considered the fact that our landline phones are obsolete and a bizarre antique to today's young kids.

It's official. I am ancient and I'm not quite 41 yet. (And I can smile while typing that!)

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