My granddaughter's birthday

This week my granddaughter reached double figures. It started me comparing a ten-year-old's birthday today with my own tenth birthday in a London still reeling from the effects of the Second World War.

When I watched Georgina opening her presents consisting of a selection of Gameboys, CDS and videos, I had to laugh quietly to myself at the thought of the changes over the years. I remember my tenth birthday clearly - not only was I getting used to a father recently home from the war, a father I did not remember at all - but there was little in the way of toys at that time. I was given a child-size armchair and six handkerchiefs. My humiliation was complete when a dreaded teacher asked me in front of the class what I had been given for my birthday. When I replied ‘an armchair’ she crushed me by saying ‘Your family must have thought you are 100 today, not ten!’ I can still hear the laughter of my classmates. How I hated that chair, and never sat in it, much to the bewilderment of my parents.

Georgina has a wide choice of amusements. It is true I did see the occasional Bing Crosby film, and I certainly wept through ‘Bambi’, but other than that I had no experience of any other professional entertainment. The only radio we had was kept in a prominent position for ‘listening to the news’ and was definitely reserved for the grownups.

This article isn’t an excuse to moan about the luxuries the ‘young’ take for granted today. It is to acknowledge and accept the wonders of change, and to marvel at the different view of the world which Georgina has, compared to the narrow view I had. For homework, she can surf the net for information about her projects. She can ‘talk’ to children in other countries, and in doing so understand more about their way of life. For me, the world ended a bus ride away.

I look at Georgina’s clothes. She is a Gap Kid from top to toe. Good for her! I wore clothes to keep me decent and to keep me warm! The choice I had was between a red or blue cardigan, and with clothes still strictly rationed, that in itself was a treat.

But what did I have that Georgina doesn’t have in the year 2000. Well, I certainly had no worry or knowledge of illegal drugs. I wasn’t subject to peer pressure - not that I knew what THAT was either - to take drugs, have sex or to skip off from school. I didn’t know what divorce was, and unlike Georgina, had no friends who divided their time between two parents. Life was more straightforward, simple but inevitably less exciting.

The world is on the cusp of a technology explosion which will affect our lives more than anything since the invention of printing. A new ball-point pen might have delighted me in the 1940's, but that is now almost like describing the excitement at first writing with a quill pen. I can only hope that from my new armchair I am able to maintain the exhilaration I feel from all my grandchildren as they grasp the year 2000.

It must be great fun to be ten years old today.

© Jill Curtis 2001