Generational Differences

I just returned to Addison after a visit to see my Mom. It was her birthday, so I took a long weekend and flew to New Jersey.

At a few years shy of 90, my mother is still going strong, both physically and mentally.  But she's firmly rooted in the 20th Century. Let me count the ways.

• When my brother told me he couldn't take me to the airport, I headed for the computer to google limo services while Mom reached for the Yellow Pages.

• I finally convinced her to get a cell phone (after a flat tire incident), but she only turns it on once a month. At least she keeps it in her purse. {Note to self: remind her to charge it.}
  

• She has a hand-me-down laptop, but she won't use the Microsoft Word program on it. The old Remington typewriter next to it sees more action.

• My brother and I bought her a new laptop last weekend after she told us the old one was painfully slow.  No wonder!  It was from 2003.

• Her refrigerator is older than I am, and I'm pushing 60.  It is not frost free. She has to periodically turn it off and put pans of boiling water in the freezer to defrost it.
  

• While I get caught up on the news on the Internet or TV, Mom still gets the newspaper delivered to her door daily.

It's wise to keep generational differences in mind when working with real estate clients, too.