Family traits

Among the many good and bad family traits that have been handed down to us by my parents is the love of the gadget. Growing up, we were the first to have the heralded Atari gamestation (you know, the one with the tennis that was composed of two straight lines and a 'ball' that went in diagonal lines?), the video recorder (we'd have all the kids in the street in watching) and the microwave to name but a few. These characteristics have been passed on to me and my brother and we all dearly love our gadgets and play-things. My parents have recently invested in the Nintendo wii, having decided that their playstation 2 is defunct!

Over the years, this has been the cause of much hilarity in the family. Other relatives tease us mercilessly and of course, we tease each other. We're not a family in which you can hide easily or be allowed to forget mistakes!

We had great fun playing the atari as kids, the nintendo wii gets played as a family thanks to my parents owning mario kart and we all occasionally go camping together using various gadgets to make the experience more comfortable.

Do you know what some of my favourite family moments are though? Playing cricket in the park - just the four of us, one batsperson, one bowler and two fielders! We had a great time. More recently, playing football at Crawfordsburn. Three generations of the same family all teasing each other, tackling roughly (even mum) and the highlight was when Mum scored from a corner kick!

You see, as a family, we have bought a lot of gadgets over the years and they give you a bit of fun for a while. The lasting memories come from the simple things like baking together, playing a bit of footie or tennis, or cricket. Most importantly, from being together and having fun. It gives you something to smile and laugh about in later years.