You know the age-old saying. It's been around for years. You CAN'T teach an old dog new tricks. Well, I beg to differ. You can and I did. My version is more of a modern day twist on the saying and it goes like this. You can teach an "old grandpa" to text.
Just as those old wise dogs do, he sat back and watched. He has been monitoring the situation for a while now. Sitting quietly, watching his grandkids, as young as the age of three, do things like play games, listen to music and watch movies on the computer, iPad and the iPhone. Nothing that they were doing particularly interested him enough to want the latest technology... but that's when it hit him. He realized you could check the weather on those devices. (He is a farmer. I will say no more.)
No longer would he have to wait for the lunch hour news or the hourly updates on the radio. Twenty-four hours a day, he could have access to information that he wanted at his fingertips. He was a little hesitant about braving this new technology. I mean, this man has seen a lot in his lifetime. He literally walked to school (ironically enough as I write this article I text him to confirm that information and it was two miles, indeed). He also texted me back a few minutes later to let me know that he rode a bike and a horse also. (Looks like he is catching on to this texting thing). There were only two things this "old grandpa" needed. To fetch a willingness to try and an iphone. So, we headed to the local Sasktel dealer and got him all geared up. He left there with a phone, case and a look of fear in his eyes. (Reminded me of the look on my puppy’s face when a new dog enters the park).
Upon arrival of the newest addition to the family, excitement was in the air. Everyone had opinions, suggestions and ideas of what best to do with Grandpa’s new baby, his iPhone. I decided that it was best to take it one step at a time. The two first steps were to learn how to answer/make a call and to learn how to send/receive a text message. To everyone’s surprise, he caught on a lot quicker than we expected. It was entertaining to see the looks on the grandkid’s faces as their Grandpa learned something new. (I imagine it is the same for Grandparents and vice versa). So it seems as though the age-old saying simply isn't relevant in this case. The "old grandpa" has learned to text, and that is just the beginning. I am not sure what can of worms we opened because the other morning the "old dog" showed up at our breakfast table unsure of what to do with the money he had earned in the pool game the kids had taught him to play online. The children showed him how to spend his collection of coins in the game and I had to laugh. You really are never to old to learn new tricks. Anyone can do anything if they really want to. All you need is a desire to do so, and a daughter-in-law willing to teach you.
