College before cell phones and the internet

old phone
telephone

It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. I remember when I went away to college. There was no internet,  facetime or cell phones. Maybe there were “car phones” but the average family did not own one.

Most of our parents were not “snow plow” parents. We had to deal with our own stuff and while away at college if we wanted to talk to the folks we used the one shared phone in the phone room in our dormitory. There was one phone on each floor.

When parents called if someone answered they had to find us. Sometimes they just stood in the hallway and yelled. When something went wrong we had to handle it ourselves. In fact, as a young adult, I took pride in being able to manage my life without help from mommy and daddy.

Times have changed. College students and their parents keep in touch with each other with daily calls, text messages, and video chats. I feel lucky to have experienced college the way that I did. I graduated and was ready for adulting.

I also experienced this as a parent when my daughter taught in France for a school year. Our only communication was via email and a long-distance calling card. Sometimes I worried but I knew she could do it and she did.

 

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