305 words. Love you, Ma and Da *grin*
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The background:
Where I come from, a person becomes a senior citizen upon turning 60.
Additionally, where I come from, using computers and such new-fangled technology, including smart phones, are the norm among my cohort. Our parents are crossing into their senior phase now. Many of them are comfortable with PCs for such simple tasks as writing a letter and then printing it, sending and forwarding emails, playing solitaire, and using spreadsheets.
The situation:
Using Google the way we do (i.e. several times a day) is not something most of their generation is prepared for. They also haven’t yet realised that there is no such thing as “just five more minutes” when it comes to the Internet (it feeds off your time, didn’t you know?). They are unprepared for the poor representation of humanity that can be found in the average YouTube comments section. They don’t know when something is a spoof, or how to distinguish between faking news and the real deal. They have not seen enough Internet ads to tell when something is genuine and when it is some creepy spam/virus-laden nonsense.
They are gullible, naive, trusting, and they need practical exercises to help them remember how to get from point A to point Z in two clicks or fewer.
In this natural switching of roles, they are the children, and we are the wise ones who must teach and defend them, without losing our tempers at them for asking for the zillionth time where files go when they are downloaded (to the Great Folder in the Sky, of course).
And if you feel the irritation welling up inside you: keep calm and consider this prep for when you have children of your own. (If you don’t plan on having kids, consider it prep for when someone you love has kids of her/his own.)
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Day 32: Famous people (real/fictional characters) you didn’t know were (partly/fully) from your country or state.
Ooh History!
Rounded with Facets 