Moms & Touchscreens

One of the most fascinating observations in life is asking your mom to use your touch-screen phone.

Or better still: buying her a new touch-screen phone and demonstrating it for her use.

Moms are cute.

Most moms of our generation did not grew up with internet and email, leave alone Facebook, Twitter et all.

They hardly had opportunities to explore computers and stuff, and most took up jobs that did not provide them opportunities to learning technology. 

Using a mobile phone is more of a cautious act for most moms.
Green button: Pick up call.

Red button: Cut call.

Dial number, press green.
Done.

Many moms still wouldnt fully get the idea of a contacts search, so they maintain a separate diary of all their phone numbers.

So now imagine giving mom a touch screen phone!

OMG!

Here is what happened when I tried to teach mom to use a touch-screen phone.

For one, she didnt understand what a screen was doing inside a phone.

I had to explain that screen was different from the computer and TV screens.

"So why 'touch' screen?? i dont like all this 'touch-gich' and all. All that is in bad movies", she exclaimed to me.

Ok. I had the patience. I told her to call it "Button-less" phone.

She reluctantly agreed.

"So when a call comes, just press this button", I explained to her how to receive a call.

I should have used the word 'touch' instead of 'press'.

Because mom almost demolished the phone in trying to 'press' the button on the touch-screen.

She pressed it like a door-bell and felt weird seeing what was happening.

Well obviously!

I looked in horror as an area of the touch-screen faded away into a blend of liquid crystals.

"Mom! Are u kidding me??? Just touch it maa..., not really press it", I exclaimed.

"It is touch screen na maa....", I cajoled her again.

She is my mom after all....I cant be rude to her.

Ok patience. I told myself to be patient.

I actually let mom explore the phone herself.

"How to make a call?" she asked.

I told her to touch a button.

She tried.

Nothing happened.

I told her to touch 'this button", as I pointed to the 'Call" button.

She tried.

Again nothing happened.

I was surprised. 

I demoed it again.

It worked for me.

Mom tried again. Nothing happened.

But I had worn her glasses now and had tried to see what happens when mom presses that button.

Apparently mom was not touching the screen at all now.

I asked her "why??" 

She was like "its not a button. if i press it, you will scold"

Oh my cute maa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I gave her a hug and told her to chill.

She laughed.

I explained to her about calling.

If Steve Jobs were to come up with new touchscreen iPhones and iPads, I think he should make a version for all Moms.

And call them 'Dont press too hard-iPhone' and "Dont press too hard -iPad"

Finally, I told her to scroll down to see all contacts.

"Scroll where??", mom asked as she looked at the floor.

Moms are so cute!

I told her to think of the phone as my head.

And that i had got a headache.

Now i told her to imagine that she was applying some Amrutanjan or pain balm

Lo!! Mom was now scrolling contacts!!

- Its Me!