Dear LPG,

There has been a lot said and written about security over the years but have you noticed how, for many younger members of our families, it is becoming the fashion to have security cameras in their homes which not only trigger alarms and send messages to security call centres.

My husband and I are lucky enough to still be together and enjoy life even though we are not as young as we used to be.  He always insisted that we make a little time for just the two of us even while our children were young.  We would leave them with our parents for an evening at least once a month which I feel helped us not to lose track of each other. These days there seems to be so little time for such luxuries.

Our grandson has set our house up with one of those front door bells that allows me to see and talk to who is visiting without having to open it or even walk to the end of the hall.  I have to say that, now I don’t walk quite as quickly as I used to, it comes in very handy on a practical level as long as I have my smart phone with me no matter where I am, when I am home or not, and at all times.  

The cameras are becoming quite cheap these days and, as long as there is someone around who will set it up for you, there is an added element of security.  He tells me that getting one for himself alerted him to how useful it would be for us to have one and I can now see what is going on in my front garden.   I have to say that when we are out it is good to be able to hear, see and talk to anyone who comes to the door, in my case, provided I can get the phone out quickly enough. 

My grandson has two young children and he has a camera over each of their cots which means that he and his wife can both see and hear them if they leave a baby sitter at home, while their little ones are sleeping, when they go out. 

But every now and then that babysitter is me, and I have to admit to wondering if their parents really ever get to enjoy their time away from the children.  While I am perfectly happy that they are not spying on me while I am babysitting, it saddens me that the younger generations feel the need to be so security conscious these days, even though I know it is obvious that there is a need.  In my opinion, dedicating time for just the two of you is difficult enough without the added distraction of getting your phone out to check on the children.

I think that there is a fine balance between always having contact with home and children, and never really having the freedom to concentrate on themselves that going out should allow a younger couple if they want their relationship to stand the test of time.

Does anyone else feel this way?

SY, Deptford

   LPG found a little related information…

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