Spending the day with my daughter

Spent some of the afternoon with Caty and she reminded me that it isn't very often that she and I spend time together - just the two of us, having a nice afternoon. It was the way she said it that was so cute. Like, we were long lost friends that hadn't seen each other in a while. But the way she and I spent time together was just so very different than an afternoon I would have spent with my mom. We went to a park that I actually used to go to with my mom in Tuckahoe. It was a bit different (better) than I remembered, and it was fun to share that experience with her. Then it was driving to find a place for something to drink and paying $2 for an ice cream sandwich and $4 for a frapp from Starbucks. There's no more walking down the street to the luncheonette or corner deli and getting a cold soda. There's no more kids just playing together and having fun and being silly and getting dirty. I watched three girls walking down the street together and said, "Caty, if you were walking down the street with two friends, what would you be doing?" And she said talking and laughing. Well, all three of those girls were talking on cell phones. I don't get that. Why are you hanging out with these girls if they're clearly not the people you want to be talking to? It made me sad for Caty and her generation and how they will grow up. I wish things could be simpler for her. But, as I type this, I realize she's still having a bit of fun - even though it might not be old-fashioned. As we speak, she's using an inner tube to play in her grandmother's jacuzzi tub. Right before that, they were using the bedais as a sprinkler. Weird yes, but still fun!