“I want to have your phone, Gigi, pleeeeeeease.” Her big almond shaped brown eyes are hard to ignore. “No, you can’t have Gigi’s phone. I need my phone.” She moved on to Papa. “Papa, will you get me a phone?” The next weekend she asked again. I said, “no” again. This time she said that she would “just ask Santa Claus” because she was sure he would bring it.

She sat next to me at Steak ‘n Shake and wanted to text her sister who was sitting across from her. “What should I text because I don’t how to spell?” “Just type anything,” I said. I showed her how to type in letters. She used her tiny thumbs of course. She texted lots of letters. She pushed send. She asked her older sister, “What did I text you?” “Blah blah blah blah,” her sister said, unimpressed and unenthusiastically. That tickled 5-year old Breezy. She laughed and laughed.

It has just started lately. Breezy is really on the band wagon to get a phone. I’m not sure when it starts with other children, but she is really wanting her own phone. Her 10-year old sister has an iPod from which she can play games, listen to music, and text when Wi fi access if available. Maybe an iPod is in Breezy’s near future. I don’t know. That is not for me to decide.

And thank goodness. I would not want to be the parent who has to decide when it is time to get the next level of electronics for my kid. Especially which kind of phone. Egads. I’m thinking Breezy, because she’s got an older sister, and because of the technological age she’s growing up in, is going to have a smartphone before she’s six! She, and her peers, are simply amazing.

She’s from Generation Z. I don’t even know if that’s what they are going to be called. Generation Z, the post-millennial generation, hasn’t been defined yet. A generation generally gets defined when it is coming of age, so during the teen and early adult years sociologists sit around and determine the characteristics of the generation and write articles and books about them describing how the generation is interacting with the world and the other generations.

One thing for sure is that this is going to be the most digital and technologically savvy generation there’s ever been. They haven’t had to learn anything about technology. It’s been a part of who they are. I remember one day when she was four, Breezy was hanging over her daddy’s shoulder watching him play one of her new games on the Nintendo DS that she’d just gotten for Christmas. She had gotten stuck and he was getting her unstuck. She watched his every move, and at the end of the game she announced, “And that’s how you win!” She picked it back up and her tiny little fingers started whizzing through the game.

Well, they are a wondrous generation and are going to be much fun to watch, but I still don’t want to decide when they should get iPods, smartphones, and all the super gadgets that aren’t even evented yet. Some of which they will event. I’m glad my son and daughter-in-law have to make those tough choices! That’s why they made Gigi’s. I just get to buy stuff like Mr. Potato Heads, Barbie dolls, cute purses, lots and lots of shoes.

What do you think Generation Z should be called?  What characteristics do you think they’ll have in addition to being so techno savvy?

dmzh

http://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/children-and-cell-phones

http://www.parenting.com/blogs/children-and-technology-blog/jeana-lee-tahnk/what-best-age-get-your-kid-cell-phone

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/is-your-child-ready-for-a-smartphone/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Generation_Z