I just spent two hours with two 19-year-old females, listening (unwillingly at times) to their conversation, sharing opinions and ideas, while never letting go of their umbilical cord, the precious smartphone.
The occasion was sunning by the pool after an elaborate meal that took me two hours to fix, and was downed in less than 13 minutes. After which we decided to sit, swim and talk by the water. Well, the talking they did, I sighed quite a bit.
The subjects of conversation went from wondering if they should swim in their bras and thongs, and while not having a bathing suit shaped as such, they decided to do just that in their actual underwear; to talking about the cute military guys who might come by (I live near a base), and what would they think of two girls in thongs (they’ll probably like that); to trying to hold their breath under water for more than one minute, like five-year-olds would do.
The mind-boggling (to me) rhythm to which the cell phones were singing, cackling, yelling and emitting all kinds of weird noises every nine seconds or so made me think of machine gun letting no down time in.
When do these girls get some rest?
Apparently they sleep with the said phone nestled in their pillows at night, making it a 24/7 proof-of-having-a-life device.
The decision to eat a meal I so lovingly prepared came after intense debate on the number of calories in each item offered.
Mind you, the vegetables were onions, sweet potatoes, carrots, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes and corn. No bread. No butter. No meat. I thought I had done relatively well.
Another debate arose when I asked if they had heard about the unwanted Chinese baby who got flushed down the toilet and had to be rescued by cutting the pipe around him, as he was saved and taken to the hospital with a fractured skull and other wounds.
Their reaction: Why have sex then? I thought that was a healthy one. Adding that if you cannot handle a kid, you should use a condom. Period.
The non-stop giggling wore me out a bit, but I was happy to spend a few hours with one of my kids and her friend on spring break from college.
What an exhausting life they have. I know mine was a lot calmer, but we did not have those phones, those thongs and those calorie problems. Even though I am only 49, today they made me feel like I was 149 years old, and my phone did not ring once! 
Sidonie Sawyer
Latest posts by Sidonie Sawyer (see all)
- An Unsettling Poolside Conversation - March 22, 2014
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