A Little Motion Sickness

Something that was only dreamed about became a reality fifteen years ago.
Imagine that we could not only talk to someone on the phone but see them, too.
Prior to its launch, phone calls were what they always were: one voice conversing with another.
Now, we have two options when we place a call: voice only or FaceTime.

It would have been so nice to have had this technology when my children were in college.
To see their face between visits would have been so lovely.
Though having this technology now is such a blessing.
My grandchildren enjoy talking to me this way.

As they get a bit older, they realize that they can show me things during a FaceTime call.
They can walk to another room to show me a special toy or something they found outside.
They can show me if they have a bandage and tell me how the injury happened.
They don’t always know where to point the phone so I can see the cut or scrape.

That brings me to the inevitable problem with FaceTime from a Grandma’s perspective.
Motion sickness.
Anyone who has ever talked to a child on FaceTime knows what I mean.
A child will hold the phone, usually pointing up towards the ceiling, and walk around.

I end up seeing nostrils more than scenery.
I see ceiling fans and recessed lights instead of the beloved object they want to display.
I find myself having to look away during their travel narrative.
I am listening and even responding, but as they walk, I have to look away.

Grandma can’t see you, I usual say to them when they finally stop.
They then turn the phone so I can see their face and continue their conversation.
I don’t want to discourage a FaceTime call, rather I want to encourage it.
I just have to prepare myself for the narration and the movement that is about to happen.

My oldest grandson wanted to FaceTime me the other day.
He had a question, which he asked me in the beginning of the call.
Not wanting to relinquish the phone, since he had my undivided attention, he continued.
Grandma I want to show you something, he said as he took off towards another room.

He went into the office, which is where he and his sisters go if they want to work on something.
They work on projects that might not be safe for their little brother.
He wanted to show me crafts and books; however, I could only hear him describe those things.
The phone was tilted up towards the ceiling and all I saw was his nose.

I listened, asking the appropriate questions, but had no idea of what he was trying to show me.
Hey Buddy, my daughter said, who had just entered the room.
Don’t make Grandma dizzy, as she watched him go from here to there in his excitement.
Had this Grandma not looked away, I may have been quite dizzy, but I have learned.

You will be like one sleeping on the high seas, lying on top of the rigging. (Proverbs 23:34)

The book of Proverbs, written by Solomon, has practical wisdom.
With its thirty-one chapters, the book can be read one chapter a day each month.
With its pithy statements and easily remembered couplets, Proverbs’ wisdom stays with you.
In the twenty-third chapter, Solomon talks about the dangers of excessive indulgence.

Though Solomon was talking about dizziness from too much wine, FaceTime dizziness is real.
Frenetic motion, though well meaning, has its effects.
Grandma, see?…And look at this…and this.
Music to my ears, though not to my eyes.

They will learn to hold the phone in such a way so the person will not feel dizzy.
I will never tell them about that dizzy feeling, since I do not want to discourage a FaceTime call.
It is a privilege to listen to them and to be the one they want to call.
Wonderful technology, to be sure, but…

 

2 responses to “A Little Motion Sickness”

1. This has happened to me many times. Luckily my girls have finally learned how to hold the phone so I can see what they want me to see.

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   • You do understand! I guess when they get older, grandchildren eventually learn how to hold the phone so “motion sickness” doesn’t happen! Until then…

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