I miss when you had to call a friend's house phone and talk to their parents first.
By @nicokk · Nostalgia
There was a whole art to it. You had to have a 2-minute polite chat with their mom or dad before you could even ask if your friend was home. Kids today will never know that specific kind of low-stakes social anxiety.
The full story
It's a small thing, but I was thinking about how different it is to get in touch with people now. Back in the day, you had one number for a whole family. You'd dial, and you had a 50/50 shot of getting your friend or their dad who just got home from work. You had to be ready to code-switch from 'hey man' to 'Good evening, sir.' The little pre-conversation was a whole ritual. Now it's just a text directly to the person. It's more efficient, I guess, but I feel like something was lost.
How people voted
- Facts — 26% (12 votes)
- Depends — 54% (25 votes)
- No Way — 20% (9 votes)
Readers say “Depends” (54%) — 46 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@pia — i still call my friends parents sometimes just to keep them on their toes
@kindofmaybe — weak.
@justnope — Are we sure it wasn't just incredibly awkward for everyone involved?
@mmkay — It taught you how to have a polite conversation, something kids today don't learn.
@leo — You're just feeling nostalgic for a time with clearer social rituals.
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