I was explaining to my 8 year old son only last week about how when I was a boy phones existed but nothing like what we have today. We had one phone in each house, usually in the hallway or bottom or the stairs. Rotary and then digital. Phone books, pay phones, yellow pages, and so on.

The conversation started because we walked past an old BT glass phone box with still had the phone inside and the slot to put coins in. He asked what it was.

Not my parents, but as a parent my wife and I have different native languages. I speak to my son in English, the only language I know. My wife talks to him in Indonesian unless it’s a conversation involving me then it’s English.

My son will answer her in English even though he can speak and understand Indonesian. Although his Indonesian accent is becoming more influenced by English as he gets older, probably due to the lack of using the language. Calls with his grandmother help as she doesn’t speak English but she’s partially deaf which doesn’t help.