Is anyone there?

When I was a kid.  (Oh it's going to be one of those blogs).  And I was sick.  My mom used to put me to bed and give me an old fashioned hand bell to ring in case I needed anything.

 It worked out pretty well.  She would head to the basement to watch her soaps and iron sheets. I would sleep most of the day but knew she was only a bell ring away.

Then I got married and when I was sick my husband would kiss me in the morning, made sure I had a glass of water and some Tylenol and a box of Kleenexes by the bed and head to work.


Magic Keenex Box!


 I was on my own.  No bell to ring and the cordless phone wasn't going to magically make someone appear to take care of me.

Then the kids came.  And with kids came all sorts of paraphernalia.  One of the neater accessories was the baby monitor. 

You can, with minimal effort on your part, hear every squeak and breath from any part of the house.  So when they grew up and were sick older kids (6,7,8) I would drag out the monitor and put it back in their room.  They would but barley sneeze and I could be at their bedside.

Then about 11 years ago I had a dirt bike accident and blew out my knee.  I had surgery, recovery, therapy, the whole nine yards.  My hubby pulled out the baby monitor and put it in my room.  From any room in the house he could hear me moaning and groaning and complaining.  If I made enough annoying noises he would come the door way and raise his eye brows at me.

Now the kids are older and they have all sorts of neat gadgets, one being that they, and us, all have cell phones.  Texting being a big part of that equation.  I think my kids and I text more than we actually talk.

  So the other day when Brandon was home sick I made sure that his cell phone was charged up and by his bedside.  And with minimal effort on his part he was able to text me that he wanted soup and more Kleenexes.  I could text him back saying when it was almost ready and that he should prepare himself because the soup would be hot. (Don't want to be sued).

Now I see that the cell phone companies are introducing a video chat on selected phones.  I don't know about you but sometimes I answer the phone and I am really not ready for public consumption.

  I can't imagine being like the Jane Jetson and having to grab my phone face just to answer a call.  Especially when I am sick.  Can't we just go back to the simpler days of the hand bell and hope and pray that someone will come when we ring it?