One of the many funny struggles I find in properly communicating in my marriage is our difference in technology knowledge. This vast difference is mostly related to our age difference. The 16-years between us can make for a lot of interesting conversations, and one would normally think I, the younger, would be learning from him, but when it comes to technology, our roles switch.
Most people my age deal with this same problem when they are working with their parents, trying to explain how to send a text, or compose an email. Having grown up around a computer and not really having to think twice how to use it, it’s foreign to me to have to teach it to someone I consider my equal. It isn’t until I hear, “honey, how do you send a picture to someone through email?” that I realize the true extent of the difference in our tech-knowledge.
Oh, you might think I’m lucky to not have a husband so engrossed in technology that he wants every new cool item to make his e-life better. Unfortunately, he loves to listen to talk radio and watch G4, so he does want all the new tech gear, even though he would never really need it, nor use it to it’s full advantage.
When I was buying my first iPod, he was using his SONY Mini-disc Walkman. When I got my first Mac laptop, he was buying his XBOX. This past Christmas, my present to him was his own iPod. Did he instantly start downloading music and converting his old CD’s over to it? No. It sat in the box for a few weeks until I finally told him I would load the music he wanted and how him how to do it himself. Six months later, no new songs have made it on to his so desired techno-device and it has probably only been used as many times as I have fingers on one hand.
Does this mean I don’t offer to help him? No. Does it mean I won’t continue to buy him new toys? No.
I will help him learn, even if his ability to retain the knowledge for what seems like a millisecond. And for as much as we can afford, I will let him get the new stuff he wants, but I will try to keep it to the things I am secretly coveting to make my own e-life better.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
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