The TV Is On The Fritz, Circa 2011

When I was my son's age, we didn't have color television (yes, it existed — we just didn't have it in our home). We got a color tube in 1980, and other amenities, such as cable or a remote control, didn't come until I was a teenager.

So I spent much of my childhood staring at swirling snow. In the best-case scenario, there were four or five channels. Worst case, we were watching "The Fall Guy" for the dialogue alone, because the picture wouldn't come in.

Elliot and Alice won't experience any of that, but they have their own challenges.

We're moving to an Internet-streaming world, which means the kids can only see their shows if the broadband connection (and the Wi-Fi to our Roku box) is working properly. We now rely on Netflix and Hulu Plus for programs — along with whatever we can pull out of the air with our HD antenna.

I imagine someday Elliot will tell his children about how long he would have to wait for the Netflix red bar to load.

Given how slow it is sometimes, I'm hoping this teaches him patience and how to cope with adversity.

I'm not exactly sure what I learned from trying to make out "The Golden Girls" in poor reception, but I think it was character-building.