I work part time at a company that, among other things, converts older media into digital formats.

Usually what that means is lots of boring hours plowing through people’s VHS collections of video nobody should be forced to watch again. But sometimes I get to be a part of some cool stuff, usually only involving old movie film.

We see the reels come in three forms — 8mm, Super8 and 16mm (each progressively better than the last). The conversion process means I am likely the last person to ever see the film played in its original form.

The projectors are sometimes a pain to deal with, and given their age can give off some strange smells. It’s a strangely serene experience with the sound of the projector clicking along in a dark room as you watch family movies from people you don’t know.

Last month I heard an episode of This American Life that delved into the world of home movies. They said the movies are all the same, that is, that everyone pulls out their camera for the same events. Having converted hundreds of videos, I can absolutely say that is true.

The show talked about the strange phenomenon in which there are videos of children, parents and grandparents, but rarely any teenagers. In my experience, that is definitely the case.

You can, however, count on seeing babies in bathtubs, toddlers getting haircuts, Christmas morning festivities, a trip to the beach, a grandmother hiding her face from the camera and a young child tottering around the yard.

Most of those I completely understand. The one I can’t quite wrap my head around is baby bath time. I see these ALL the time — from 8mm film from the 1950s to miniDV tapes shot last month. Parents seem to think this is a great idea and must believe there will be a day the family will want to sit around and relive the experience. I’m not sure I see the entertainment there.

I am still holding out hope for a great America’s Funniest Home Videos moment. I mean, for the hundreds and hundreds of hours of footage I have seen, would it be too much to ask to see someone fall off a trampoline or take a whiffle ball bat to a sensitive region?

I think not.