Jodi Byrant: Winding up to the forgotten coolness of the black-and-white days

The black-and-white days may hark back to some dreary shades, but they were actually pretty cool, you know." Photo / Getty Images

I know I've written about this topic before but all this talk about me living in the black and white days is really getting to me.

The Jaws movie series was recently screened on TVNZ and I discovered the kids watching it.

"Oh, that's old," I called out. "I used to watch that when I was a kid."

"Well then why isn't it in black and white?" retorted the oldest.

Grrrr.

I mean, back in the 80s when I was a kid, all our photos were in colour, unlike my parents' — so I had good reason to believe their days were all dreary shades of ebony and ivory.

My kids are just trying to wind me up. And it works.

This week I pulled up at the supermarket and began to wind (another old-fashioned term) the windows down while I ducked inside to grab something.

"No, just put it down a little bit," said the oldest, pushing the button to slide his window back up. "I don't want anyone to see me."

Quite what he's embarrassed about is beyond me, although I could relate and said as much.

Even the Jaws movie was in full technicolour in my day, despite the kids thinking it should have been in black and white if it dates back to then. Image / Supplied

"I used to be like that when I was a teen," I told him. "Nearly everything shamed me out, but we didn't have tinted windows to hide behind like you do."

"That's because your whole car was just white," he retaliated.

I couldn't even wrap my head around that one but knew he was having another dig so quickly jumped out of the car before I could take the bait.

Young people these days, the cheek of them!

One of the 13-year-old's NBA clips was accompanied by a song from back in the day which was ringing out through his phone from where he had taken up his usual residence on the couch.

Involuntarily, I began to sing the words from the kitchen, which seemed to get his attention.

"Wait - what? You know that song?"

His face was peering over the top of the couch at me, mouth agape.

"That song's been around for decades," I replied before adding, "The black-and-white days were actually pretty cool, you know."

''Whatever,'' he didn't even have to utter as he retreated back into the couch.

And just like that, I'd lost his attention but, for a brief moment there, I think I just may have seen a flash of admiration.