Getting Old

I realized the very sad truth last night.

I'm getting old.

I work out everyday and would like to think I am very active for a 38-year-old who has survived the 70s, 80s and 90s. I am nowhere near retirement, although I absolutely love the idea. Doggone it, I also don't feel old most of the time -- no large aches and pains, no glaring health problems, you know, the things that become part of your life when your body starts to break down with age.

But I'm getting old. Know why? Because my kids laugh at me when we play video games. That 70s, 80s, 90s comment above -- that means I grew up in the very beginning of the video game age. I remember when getting a plain old Monopoly game was big deal on Christmas morning, or maybe Clue or Payday. How about those old electric football games, where you had to lift the little tiny players off the field and direct that little wheel on the bottom, then flip a switch and feel the buzz shaking them all over that metal football field. Got one of those every Christmas because I kept losing the little player guys over the course of the year. Mom and Dad kept it coming, though.

Then there was the Atari. Space Invaders -- I spent two whole days after Christmas playing that stupid game. I took breaks to eat and go to the bathroom. Every other waking minute was spent shooting those square-looking aliens out of the sky and saving the world.

Atari bred Intellivision. Then came the first Nintendo unit. That has, of course, evolved into the PlayStation, X-box, and all its offspring. Of course, during this evolution I grew up and got busy with other things like making a living, putting food on the table and a roof over my head, you know, stuff grown-ups have to do.

My son cashed in a couple of weeks ago on his birthday, receiving $236 in cash and another 55 bucks worth of Wal-Mart gift cards. He knew what he wanted to spend it on before we left the party that night.

Nintendo has gone through its original game system, to the Nintendo GameCube, and now its latest invention is the Wii. Coby requested one at Christmas but Santa didn't oblige, claiming even his elves up north couldn't find one in stores. On that note... just what do Santa's elves do between Jan. 1 and, say, August or so, when the Christmas lists probably start rolling in? You'd think they could stock up on some Wii consoles at least to get ready for the rush.

But May is apparently a good time to find them in stock. We finally got the chance to go to Wal-Mart on Monday and we found one of the elusive buggers. The kids have been playing that thing since we walked back in the door with it.

Problem is I'm not very good at it. I got shut out in Wii baseball by both my older children. Melody sent me out of the room completely with a mercy-rule win in game two -- yes, my 9-year-old daughter Melody. I couldn't get out of there fast enough, and when I did leave she was laughing at me all the way.

I curled up with my one remaining child who has yet to get a Wii victory over me. Abby doesn't care about the video games other than she does enjoy grabbing a controller and maybe chewing on it for awhile. That's the kind of support I needed most last night.

Yes, you know you're getting old when your 9-year-old girl can whip you in video game baseball and laugh about it. Hysterically.