So, occasionally I’ll Tivo a movie for the kids so we can watch it later without commercials. The Girl has taken an interest in the remote controls, asking what the buttons do, and so I’ve been teaching her. Her current favorites are the button on the television remote that lets you view two programs on different video inputs simultaneously (e.g. satellite and DVD) and the Tivo pause, play, and 30-second skip (hallelujah!) buttons.

She and her brother are watching Dumbo right now (in split screen mode with both set to the same input — double Dumbo). And although we skip right through the commercials, we’re not saving any time because she’s pausing the movie every ten seconds or so to provide critical commentary to her brother. Pause. “See that elephant? She’s mean.” Play. Pause. “Dumbo’s mother is trying to protect him.” Play. Pause. “Scaredy elephants! Scaredy elephants!” Play. Pause. “Hahahahahaha!” Play. Pause. “He’s nice, the mouse guy, but Dumbo’s afraid of him.” Etc.

And it’s fascinating because, in many ways, even at just four, her technical abilities already surpass those of her grandmother. She can play DVDs and video tapes. She can control the Tivo. She can use a trackball to play games and paint on the computer. She comprehends the use of the back button on a web browser! She knows that the X in the corner of the window makes the window go away. She can print (I leave a limited supply of paper in the printer because of this).

She’s growing up with the technology. She’ll never be able to remember a time when she wasn’t using a computer. It will always be natural to her. How much more advanced will she be by the time she’s a teenager?