Let me be straight about this: I am a huge fan of the technology that’s available to us today (and I’m not just saying that because I’m married to a software developer.) I’d be lost without my DVR; running with anything heavier than an IPod would be unthinkable; and I honestly can’t imagine not being able to access my email anywhere, anytime. But after what happened to me this past Friday night, I actually started to question whether or not our countless forms of communication and means of capturing memories are doing us more harm than good.

I was at my daughter’s ballet recital. And thanks to good timing, for once, we scored seats in the first row. This was it! We were actually going to come home with great pictures and video footage. We didn’t have to worry about being too far from the stage or that 6 ft. 4 guy who always seems to sit in front of us. We had a perfect, unobstructed view. So my husband and I decided that he’d take the pictures, and I’d take the video with our brand new HD recorder.

My daughter came onto the stage, precious as can be. She and the rest of the kindergarten class did their little twirls and kicks, looking like angels. And I watched through the image on the video recorder. I knew I was somewhat missing out on the show because I was so focused on taping it. But I figured it was worth it; my daughter and the rest of our family would inevitably watch the video of her show over and over, relishing every moment each time.

Oh, but that didn’t happen. When I got home, I was feeling a bit upset that I didn’t get to watch her show the way I would have liked (noticing every little detail, never taking my eyes from my daughter’s beaming little face.) So I decided to check out the video. Nothing. Not one second of my daughter’s show. I honestly have no idea what happened. It was most likely human error, but I’d rather blame the @#%&* machine.

To say I was upset is an understatement. I was devastated. And it got me thinking: We used to have one designated video camera and one camera for still-photos. That was it. So when we had a special occasion like a ballet recital, baseball game, or birthday party, we’d just grab our two cameras and we’d know exactly how they worked. They weren’t so high-tech. But we have plenty of photo albums and DVDs to show that that didn’t really matter.

But now, we can take pictures and videos with our phones, our Flip camera, our HD video camera, our regular camera, the list goes on (did I mention my husband is a technophile). You can record, edit, and delete with the touch of a tiny little button. You can email videos the second you take them.  It’s all so high-tech and wonderful. We have come so far.

And because we readily accept new technology every year or so, and because we have so many gadgets we could never become experts at operating all of them, my one-eyed view of my daughter’s dance recital will have to suffice.