By Megan Brandrup

I recently turned 21, therefore, I am now considered by society to be an adult. As a child of the 90’s I have always had the internet, but I wasn’t nearly as enthralled with the internet as I am today. Growing up, we used computers to learn how to type, or for writing papers. It wasn’t until middle school that we actually were able to use computers for more than just one purpose. I also didn’t get a cellphone until I was in the 7th grade, which, by today’s standards, is insane.

I will be graduating from college this May (2016), and I am now looking to the future and making decisions about what I want to do with my life after graduating. What kind of a job do I want? Where do I want to live? When should I buy a house? When do I want to get married? How many kids do I want?

I know that most of it will be pretty far off, but I can’t help thinking about my future kids. They won’t have nearly the same kind of upbringing I did, and that is simply because technology has become far more advanced and superior than it used to be.

The most complicated gaming system I used was a Nintendo 64, and even kids now are using far more advanced technology than that. The days of button-mashing and unplugging your siblings’ controllers are over. Every game you play now are wireless or don’t even require a controller.

What does this mean for the future? Millions thought that we would have hover cars and food that came in the form of pellets. You know, like something out of Back to the Future. But, just because we don’t have these things now, does that really mean we never will?

I wouldn’t be surprised to have my children grow up in a far more advanced society than I grew up in. We had the internet when I grew up, but we still knew the value of playing outside with your friends. You came home when the street lights came on, or when your mom yelled your name from the front door.

It’s crazy to think that the dynamics with my own children may be immensely different. Instead of yelling out the door, maybe I would send them a text, or Facetime them. Who knows? Maybe by this point in time, they will be able to just teleport into the room. Ok, maybe not teleport, but I can dream can’t I?

I thought that I grew up in a pretty technologically advanced age, but I cannot wait to see how different my own children’s childhoods will be from my very own.