The Talk

My daughter and I just had “the talk”. No, not that talk. That one is reserved for her mom and, with any luck, I’ll be out of the county when that talk happens.

This talk is about getting an iPod Touch or a phone.

I think I made it clear to her that she’s not getting a phone anytime soon. Maybe she figured that out by my uncontrollable laughter when she asked me. (I really hope they spell my last name on the Father of the Year 2012 plaque.)

The iPod Touch, though. Well…..

Let me back up by saying I’m a bit of a tech geek. How much of a tech geek, you ask? I kept checking my Twitter feed when the iPhone 5 was being announced last week. (Sorry, ladies…I’m spoken for.)

So I had to admit that the thought of a new gadget in the house appealed to me. Even though it was for someone else (gasp!). When I asked her what she wanted an iPod touch for, I thought it was because she saw her dad and wanted to be like him. She wanted a vast array of music, games and apps that simplify her going-into-third-grade life.

She said that she wanted to be able to text her friends.

Text? Her friends? SRSLY? Am I at that stage in the game?

Not only am I a tech geek, but I’m also a teacher. I am very familiar to the look that students get when they are texting or tweeting (sorry Facebook, you’re sooo two years ago). Essentially, you just see the top third of their head and, if you get their attention for 30 seconds, a lot of the times you chalk that up as a victory.

I don’t want that to be my daughter. Not yet, anyway. I want that girl that draws pictures for me and gives me a big hug when I get back from a long day at work. I want to keep the girl that has a grin from ear to ear when she scores her first (and only) goal. I don’t want her to have secret conversations with her BFFs. And I certainly don’t want her texting any boys. Hear that, guys? DO YOU HEAR THAT? I’m not ready for her to grow up. I’m really not.

But I really want a new iPod.