I’m a middle-aged white guy… don’t worry, I don’t bite… hard.

I’m a tad north of 50. Old enough to be ‘old’ to most ‘kids’ but too young to be a real Boomer. I enjoyed the late ‘70’s, even disco. And I remember being referred to as: spoiled, mouthy, lazy and having no morals. Those from the “Greatest Generation” and older Baby Boomers talked about how we were just riding on their coat tails.

Sound familiar?

What has really disappointed me about Talia’s post are the responses from those her age that kick her while she’s down instead of sharing her pain and sharing tips and encouragement. Those kids will grow up to keep Fox Noise in business and keep the Republican Party thinking they are doing it right.

My son is 26. He is completely lost (I joke he sufferes from Chronic Rectal-Cranial Inversion Syndrome). He had a lot of success when he was much younger, but life has thrown some real curveballs at him and he feels stuck. I feel powerless to help (he doesn’t want it). The truth is, like you, a lot of Mil’s grew up convinced that they will never achieve the success of their parents. And parents, thinking this too, showered them with accolades for just showing up. To top it off, society started looking down on anyone without a degree, or college aspirations, creating what seems like a glut of ‘papered kids’ and no one wanting to get their hands dirty (see the show, “Dirty Jobs”).

So now what?

I see positive changes. Like many old farts, I too have had to take a lot of shit jobs, hang in there over decades, and finally enjoy what feels like real success in life. Sure, I feel proud. Mostly I feel lucky. I look back and wonder how I’m still here. But now I hear about work/life balance. What the fuck is that? I find out it means you can actually have a life, and maybe a living too. Go figure. I hear Boomers whine, but they don’t feel guilty any more if they have to take a couple hours for a doctor appointment. They actually talk about using all of the vacation they have coming this year. I hear management talk about how important family is… really? Where were you when I wanted to spend more time with my kid? I’m floored — and pleased to see the changes. Hell, my new wife* and I have just started as ESL tutors; we know less Spanish than they know English. I never felt I had the time, emotional bandwidth and confidence to stumble through this. We’re having a blast!

And many Mil’s are recognizing that there are a lot of n0n-tech, non whitecollar jobs out there that are creative and fun. Some realize that actually making, or building, something real is very satisfying.

Those old scared Republicans that watch Fox Noise and bitch about kids: fuck ’em. Ignore them. They’ll die off soon enough. Try to make a decent living doing something you can be proud of. If you need a creative outlet, get a hobby (that’s right, you write). Be kind. Suffer the old as you watch them suffer themselves. And understand that while there are Mil’s that feed the stereotype, there are creepy old guys like me that try not to feed ours.

Cheers. Cuídate mucho.

*My son’s mom died after a long battle with Huntington’s Disease.