The Day After

How many of you watched this movie with your family as a kid? Might explain a lot about the Gen X psyche in adulthood.

GenXconnect

I wanted to share a Gen X blogging network I came across. It's called GenXconnect and I've set up my page. Check it out!

Facebook is for Xers - but not for the reason you think

It turns out that Gen Xers are using Facebook - A LOT. But it's not because we're cool, it's because we're getting old (don't worry, we're still cool).

My college friend, Jen, sent me this article (on my Facebook page, no less, talk about irony). It's basic premise is that Facebook appeals to my demographic because we want to find our old friends and we're not worried about being cool (because, again, we ARE cool).

The only part I don't agree with is that we don't understand Twitter (yes we do) and that we can't remember email addresses (you don't need to, duh).

Another thing about the article - it's obvious an Xer wrote it. Here's why: Xers aren't so much worried about getting old as losing our coolness. And a lot of us like sardonic humor - and think it makes us cool. That's why I call my most productive colleague "slacker" (it's okay, he's Gen X and he thinks it's funny.)

Gratitude and giggles

I just wanted to thank everyone who commented on my last post. That's a new record for me. To the Xers that posted: Since we are a smaller cohort, it's great to connect with you all (I know a lot of us do the smile-and-nod when these discussions come at work because there often is only a handful of Xers around).

I also wanted to share this cartoon with you that Kathy sent to me. I'm sure it may annoy some - but that's what makes blogging so fun.

“The Children now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority; they show disrespect for adults, and love to talk rather than work or exercise. They no longer rise when adults enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter in front of company, gobble down food at the table and intimidate their teachers.”
-Socrates (469-399 B.C.)

Gen Xers and Boomers - I'd like your opinion

I'm a regular reader of the Brazen Careerist blog community. Today I read an entry that amused me. I'd like to see what you think. Take a look and report back.

Jeff Gordinier is way cool

I am a huge fan of Jeff Gordinier, author of X Saves The World. We're even friends on Facebook and I got an email from him once. I love to show this YouTube clip of him talking about his book where he drops the F-bomb while talking about The Beatles when I'm doing presentations about Gen X. If I had more time, I'd probably be his cyber stalker.

He recently wrote this blog post where he second guesses himself for writing about Nirvana in his book. To this I say, you were not wrong, Jeff. I've read your book. In fact, I would even argue that it's extremely Gen X to deny that Nirvana was a Gen X band. We LOVED Nirvana when they first hit the college airwaves. They were cool. They were indie. If you knew about them, you were in on a secret. You were part of the cool dudes.

We stopped liking them when "the man" got a hold of them and started putting their faces on lunchboxes (even if it was only figuratively speaking).

Work and play

A couple nights ago, all my friends seemed to be posting to Facebook about their kids’ homework. One was working with their 3rd grader, another with their 1st grader, and another commenting that those two should “just wait until you get to 5th grade math.”

And I thought to myself: This is ridiculous.

Despite the fact that there are NO CONCLUSIVE STUDIES that homework in elementary school has any impact on academic achievement later on, teachers continue to pile it on. They say it’s teaching children discipline (which all know is a crock – it’s teaching the parents discipline. How many 2nd graders do you know that would do their homework without being harped on?)

I think in some ways things have just flip-flopped. From the 1930s to the 1970s children used the Dick and Jane books to learn to read. In those books, adults worked and children played. Today, children work and adults play.

Seriously, in addition to the pressure to make sure kids are toiling away at their homework every night, there seems to be more and more pressure on parents to keep their children entertained (when they're not doing homework), which results in adults having to play games, Barbies, Wii, etc. I love spending time with my kids – but does it really have to be playing playdough? Isn’t that something they can do independently?

I found a blog called Free Range Kids that is great. It discusses giving our kids childhoods like the ones we had. I wish more people held this opinion.

Do you ever...
..let your kid ride a bike to the library? Walk alone to
school? Take a bus, solo? Or are you thinking about it? If so, you are raising a
Free Range Kid! At Free Range, we believe in safe kids. We believe in helmets,
car seats and safety belts. We do NOT believe that every time school age
children go outside, they need a security detail. Most of us grew up Free Range
and lived to tell the tale. Our kids deserve no less. This site dedicated to
sane parenting. Share your stories, tell your tips and maybe one day I will try
to collect them in a book. Meantime, let's try to help our kids embrace life!
(And maybe even clear the table.)