A deprived childhood

Yesterday we learned our daughter-in-law:

Had never seen or heard of “A Christmas Story;

Had never heard the expression, “You’ll shoot your eye out”;

Had never seen or heard of “Flight of the Navigator”;

Had never seen or heard of “Better off Dead”;

Had never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life.”

Of the latter she said, “That’s Jimmy Steward, right?”

Our daughter said, “You are un-American.”

I said. “When somebody says, ‘You’re not from around here,’ they don’t mean just the state.” I made a big circle with my arms. “They mean the planet, as in, ‘You are not from Earth, are you?’”

A younger neighbor, Sarah, had the best remark, though: “Did you even have a television growing up?”

Our youngest said he has a DVD of “A Christmas Story” and he will get DVDs of “Flight of the Navigator” and “Better off Dead” and bring them when he is back for Christmas leave.

An education is a fine thing.