Generation X Parents Must Pass the Torch On
The old days are dying — we must not let that happen.
I was born in the early 1970s and came of age in the 1980s. We got through school without the internet and cell phones. We played outside for hours without supervision. It was a good life. The good old days really do exist — I miss them.
There are lessons from my youth I want my kids to know. They can’t learn these things without us because they’re slipping away from the culture. Gen X parents are the last great hope in the preservation of these ideals.
Waiting
Gen X parents are well-studied in waiting. We waited for our beloved television shows to come on. We waited to pass a note in the hallway or talk to someone after school. When the phone was busy, we waited to call later because our dads weren’t paying $2.99 a month for call waiting.
Saturday morning cartoons and The Magical World of Disney specials mean nothing to our kids. We longed for these things. We waited and busied ourselves with other stuff until they were broadcast. Now you can binge-watch a series on Netflix or stream cartoons at any moment. There’s no notion of “not yet” anymore.
Today’s kids have access to technology that provides too much instant information and gratification. They haven’t had to develop the waiting…
