Webcams, Skype and the modern child...or...Where's a six year old when you need them?

Yesterday was an interesting day!  It was bound to happen sooner or later, but having an engineering background and being open to new technology, I'd been able to postpone the inevitable...until yesterday.  For months now, I've been trying to figure out how to "see" my grandkids on the laptop with my webcam.  Last week, in a chance remark on Spartan Radio, I heard someone mention Skype.  Skype!!...that was the answer.  After a number of texts and emails with my daughter we were on the verge of a technological breakthrough.

That's when it happened. It's one thing when your kids can run rings around you with gizmos...but the grandkids!  First up, the two year old...who's interests at the moment are motorcycles (vroom-vrooms to be specific), anything "tractor" and Buzz Lightyear, when he's not dropping pieces of pizza out of his mouth trying to show me what he's eating.  Although he's still struggling with the concept of not peeing on anything that doesn't move, he somehow knows exactly what key to hit that sends grandpa into the virtual neverland! 

Of course it was the girls that really made me throw in the towel.  With their new ipods firmly in hand, they tended to pop in and out of the video.  Half the time I was left staring at the top of a head.  Then one would pop in with the ipod to show my something.  All this time keeping up the conversation!  First there would be a doll cutout with their grandmother's face...then mine...right off the screen!  Then they would show me pictures of Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck....with the video of me playing in the background!  I felt like I was in one of those "so 20 seconds ago" commercials.  How are they doing that and they're only 5 and 7.  The whole thing reminded of the old Disney ride showing people talking on the screens to family on the moon or something....science fiction!  Well, it's here...and the kids just know how it works.  Up to that point I thought just talking on the laptop was pretty cool...but that was setting the bar way too low.  I better get cranking or I'll find myself out-dated and left in my rocker still trying to figure out my blackberry!