COLUMN: Glad I didn't have the choice

I'm really glad I didn't have a cell phone as a kid. I could certainly say that I would have not used it as much as kids do today, but that's probably not the case. Adults these days say they would have never been glued to a phone, but look around anywhere today, many of these same people are glued to a screen. Why would it be any different at a younger age?

Perhaps the biggest advantage my generation and many others had was that we didn't have the choice. In fact, I'm very happy we didn't have to choose.

No matter what it would have been like, it is quite saddening that I can look at the window right now to a main street in Small Town America and have not seen a kid go by in an hour. That just does not seem right. On a beautiful 85-degree day I would expect to see the streets lined with kids riding their bikes or walking together to get into some sort of mischief.

It is awful to say, but when faced with the choice, a lot of kids would rather do something else besides running around. Of course, this isn't every kid, I see one in particular about 365 days a year outside, but still isn't a very large number.

I wish there was a happy medium, kids could find because playing outside is good for the brain. We used to make up the most outlandish games, yet we were being creative, and this would last until the street lights came on while we were playing kick the can, or another "night game". One of the worst parts about the phone is that it is really starting to make people grow up a little faster than they should. Some of the thing's kids are exposed to are ridiculous and stuff they should not being seen. The whole thing with early teens sending "risqué" pics to each other is also garbage. Kids in junior high shouldn't be worrying about that nonsense, and if you have a boy, tell him to stop asking girls to send pictures. It's ridiculous, there is plenty of time to be an adult when you are an adult. Enjoy being young and not worrying about pleasing somebody else, not to mention the other dangers associated with social media.

Having a camera on a cell phone has also created a monster. There is nothing wrong with being okay with the way you look, but it's just weird that people will take so many "selfies", especially ones involving a mirror. It just looks silly and put your shirt back on. Pictures and video are also out of hand at larger events. I think that rather filming an entire concert, I'd just like to enjoy the experience of being there in the moment. To me that is far more memorable than any video, yet as I glance around so many people are watching the concert through a tiny screen as they film perhaps forgetting the magic happening around them. And to be honest, I don't think anybody ever gets excited about seeing the 45 minutes of concert footage someone shot.

Perhaps the best pre cell phone stories take me back to spending double digit hours outside during the summer as well as getting a little bit older and staying out later or even sneaking out.

There was never a need for a group text, everyone just got on their bikes and would meet up at a park, house, or just run into each other on the street.

There were certainly plenty of times I was inside playing a video game or watching tv, but that was something to do later at night or when it was too hot to move outside.

There would be times where we would connect on the phone, but those calls were really quick and to the point.

Every time I try to tell the kids about these good old days, they can't seem to imagine a world with Instagram, but it wasn't that long ago, and I'm so glad I didn't have that choice.